MONTREAL -- Deaths due to COVID-19 in Quebec reached another grim milestone Sunday, as the province surpassed 7,500 confirmed deaths due to the disease.
Health officials reported 33 new deaths including 12 in the past 24 hours, 19 between Dec. 6 and Dec. 11, and two at an unknown date.
The number of new daily confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus was also above the weekly average of 1,759 per day with Quebec reporting 1,994 new confirmed cases since Saturday.
The Quebec Institute of Public Health is reporting that there are 16,556 active cases, and that 1,580 more people have recovered from the disease for a total of 139,850.
The total number of confirmed cases in the province is now 163,915 since the start of the pandemic.
Hospitalizations in Quebec also increased by double-digits Saturday with officials reporting that 20 more people are being treated for COVID-19 in the province's hospitals for a total of 880. Of those, 123 are in the intensive care ward, six fewer than 24 hours ago.
Daily testing in the province remains high with health-care professionals reporting that they analyzed 38,320 samples Dec. 11. (Quebec releases its testing data from two days prior to its daily updates).
REGIONAL DATA
Montreal broke its record for new cases in a day for the third time in four days as the island reported 748 new cases (57,821 total). In addition, the island's health-care authorities reported that one more person has died due to the disease (3,708 total).
Other areas that were hard hit include Quebec City with 235 new cases (14,207 total), Monteregie with 196 new cases (22,856 total), Laval with 158 new cases (13,226 total), Chaudiere-Appalaches with 124 new (6,475 total), Lanaudiere with 121 new cases (12,792 total), and the Eastern Townships with 111 new cases (6,041 total).
Quebec City reported the highest number of new deaths due to the disease with 10 more (526 total)
Five deaths were reported in Monteregie (940 total); four in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (173 total) and Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (310 total); and three in the Eastern Townships (95 total) and Lanaudiere (364 total);
One death was also reported in Chaudiere-Appalaches (149 total), Laval (734 total) and the Laurentians (344 total).
