Quebec reports 1,102 new coronavirus cases as pandemic takes hold

Quebec is clocking 1,102 new cases of the novel coronavirus as the upward trend continues ahead of Thanksgiving weekend.

Premier François Legault said Friday the number of new infections is starting to stabilize, but that people need to keep their guard up in the coming days.

“It shows that the efforts we’re making over the last week or two are showing results,” he said.

The caseload has reached 84,094. Health authorities say there have been more than 67,000 recoveries.

The province also reported 22 more deaths linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Four of those deaths occurred in the last 24 hours.

The health crisis has killed 5,936 Quebecers but the death toll was adjusted Friday after a fatality was mistakenly attributed to the virus. The death toll is the highest in the country, representing more than half of Canada’s fatalities.

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Hospitalizations also remain on the rise. There are 433 patients in hospital, an increase of eight from the previous day. The number in intensive care dropped by one to 67.

As the uptick of cases and hospitalizations continues, Quebec officials are calling on people to stay home over the Thanksgiving weekend to stop the spread of the virus.

“My message before the weekend is loud and clear: stay home with the people you live with,” said Legault.

The alert level is also being raised for more regions over the weekend. Health Minister Christian Dubé said Thursday the new areas mean most of the St. Lawrence Valley between Quebec City and Montreal has gone red, with a few exceptions.

Police are also setting up checkpoints on roads leading into some areas of the province, including parts of the Saguenay region north of Quebec City, to discourage non-essential travel.

The province conducted 29,387 tests on Wednesday. To date, 2,584,651 tests have been given in the province.

— With files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier and The Canadian Press

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