MONTREAL -- Quebec health authorities reported 844 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Wednesday and retroactively added 359 more to its daily tolls from three days earlier. 

The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic is now 88,994. 

Six more people have died due to COVID-19, officials said, including one in the past 24 hours, four between Oct. 7 and 12, and one at an unkown date, for a total of 5,976 deaths during the health crisis. 

For the first time in several days, Montreal reported under 200 new cases of the disease, with 189 (total 38,131). Monteregie -- which just entered the red zone on the province's COVID-19 alert map -- reported almost just as many, with 181 (total 12,956), and Quebec City reported 159 (total 6,465). 

Montreal has extended its state of emergency for another five days. First declared on March 27, and maintained since then, a state of emergency grants exceptional powers to the government and police to fight COVID-19. 

Chaudiere-Appalaches reported 58 new cases (total 2,291), Mauricie reported 48 (total 3,140), and Laval and the Laurentians both reported 46 (totals 8,353 and 5,571 respectively). 

Lanaudiere reported 34 new cases (total 5,874) the Eastern Townships, 27 (total 2,147), and Outaouais, 11 (total 1,884). 

Hospitalizations in the province increased by 20 from Tuesday to Wednesday, for a total of 488. Of those in hospital, 80 are receiving treatment in the intensive care ward, which is a decrease of five from the number reported on Tuesday. 

As of Wednesday, 74,483 people are confirmed recovered from COVID-19 in Quebec, which is an increase of 749 from the number reported on Tuesday. 

Quebec health officials reported that they analyzed 20,959 COVID-19 tests on Oct. 12 (Quebec reports its daily testing figures from two days prior). 

This is a developing story that will be updated.