The needles are still pointing in the right direction regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.

According to data released Sunday by the Ministry of Health, the number of patients in hospitals due to the novel coronavirus has dropped from 1,691 to 1,622.

However, 55 people are in intensive care, two more than the day before.

Three new deaths have been added to the death toll. There are now 15,279 deaths related to COVID-19 since its appearance in Quebec.

The Ministry of Health also reported 634 new positive PCR tests since the previous report.

According to the VaccinTrackerQC website, 15,449 doses of vaccine have been administered in the last 24 hours, mostly second booster doses.

The percentage of people aged five years and older who received a first dose is 91.45 per cent, 88 per cent of the Quebec population received a second dose, and 59.3 per cent received a booster dose.

The ministry will be watching the effects of lifting the mandatory mask mandate in most public places in Quebec on the daily numbers over the next few weeks.

Face masks are no longer required in public places in Quebec as of Saturday, except on public transit and in places where care is provided, such as hospitals, CHSLDs and medical clinics.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 15, 2022.