MONTREAL -- Quebec reported Friday that 798 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total number of infections to 291,175 since the start of the pandemic. 

Of those, 273,430 are reported to have recovered, 877 more than on Thursday. 

The Quebec Institute of Public Health reports that there are 7,290 active novel coronavirus cases in the province, 89 fewer than on Thursday.

The seven-day average for daily case increases is now 719. 

In addition, the province reported 10 more deaths including three that occurred in the past 24 hours, five between Feb. 26 and March 3, one before Feb. 26 and one at an unknown date.

Since the start of the pandemic, 10,455 people have died due to the disease in Quebec.

After rising by eight Thursday, Quebec reports that nine fewer people are receiving care in the province's hospitals for COVID-19 dropping the total number of hospitalizations to 617. Of those, 111 people are in intensive care wards, a decrease of four.

On Thursday, health-care professionals administered 18,234 more doses of vaccine, which is 1,615 more than the 16,619 administered Wednesday. The total number of vaccine doses administered in the province is now 510,479 (6.1 per cent of the population of Quebec). 

A total of 27,685 samples were analyzed on March 3. (Quebec releases its sampling data from two days prior to its daily updates.

REGIONAL DATA

The Island of Montreal reported 345 new COVID-19 cases (107,750 total), which was the highest of all Quebec regions.

The only other region topping 100 new cases was Laval with 107 new (25,074 total).

Of the new deaths, three were reported in Montreal (4,532 total), and two in Outaouais (163 total).

One death was reported in Quebec City (990 total), Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (508 total), the Eastern Townships (305 total), Laval (871 total) and the Laurentians (473 total).