MONTREAL -- For the second day in a row, the province reported the same number of new COVID-19 cases, when Quebec said 1,053 more people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.

The total number of infections since the start of the pandemic is now 265,579.

Of those who tested positive for novel coronavirus, the province reports that 242,692 have recovered from the disease, which is 1,155 more than Tuesday.

The Quebec Institute of Public Health is reporting that there are 12,988 active COVID-19 cases.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 continues to creep near 10,000, and the province reported 37 more deaths due to the disease Wednesday, bringing that total to 9,899.

Of those who have died, nine were in the past 24 hours, 18 between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1, nine before Jan. 27, and one at an unknown date.

Hospitalizations continue to drop in Quebec, with four fewer people receiving care in the province's hospitals than Tuesday. The total number of hospitalizations is now 1,106 including 177 who are in the intensive care ward, a decrease of one.

The number of people in ICUs has decreased every day for the past week when there were 212 people on intensive care ward beds. 

TESTING DATA

On Feb. 1, health-care professionals analyzed 25,319 samples bringing the total number of tests in the province to 5,950,146 since March. 

On Tuesday, 590 vaccines were administered which is 234 more than the 356 administered the day prior. 

In total, 241,546 vaccinations have been administered in the province (2.5 per cent of the population).

REGIONAL DATA

The Island of Montreal's new numbers dropped below 500 again Wednesday with 494 new reported COVID-19 cases (95,893 total) Wednesday. Monteregie with 148 new (38,589 total) was the only other region to report more than 100 new cases.

Laval (93 new, 22,436 total), Chaudiere-Appalaches (65 new, 11,112 total) and Lanaudiere (63 new, 18,878 total) reported the highest number of new cases after the two southwestern Quebec regions.

Eight deaths were reported in Monteregie (1,359 total); seven in Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (463 total) and Montreal (4,340 total); five in Laval (842 total)and the Laurentians (446 total); three in Quebec City (938 total); and two in Chaudiere-Appalaches (264 total).