Quebec confirms 89 more coronavirus deaths as cases near 40,000

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has reached 3,220, after announcing 89 more deaths since Monday afternoon.

As part of his daily briefings from Quebec City, Premier François Legault updated the provincial numbers, confirming 39,931 known cases and 1,876 hospitalizations, 194 of whom are in the ICU.

Legault said earlier this morning, members of the MNA observed a moment of silence for the victims and the flag in Quebec City was lowered at half mass as a tribute to all the citizens who have died as a result of the virus.

Currently, a reported 261,569 cases have turned up negative throughout Quebec.

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Legault began Wednesday’s meeting by reinforcing that he “strongly recommends all Quebecers wear face masks” when they leave the house. He says he’s been receiving a lot of questions as to why they’re deemed mandatory. “The answer is that the masks themselves have to be widely available to make them mandatory,” he said in French. Legault says to be able to supply all Quebecers with masks, “we would need tens of millions, not only do we have t supply, they’d have to high-quality as well.”

The premier says Quebec has a team that’s been working “for weeks” who could provide the province with “tens of millions of masks,” but no date has been confirmed as to when the government could receive the supply.

“We have to make sure the quality masks are available before ever thinking about making them mandatory,” he continued. “However, I wish to invite Quebecers that it’s fairly easy to make your own.”

#COVID19 – Au Québec, en date du 13 mai 2020 à 13 h 15, la situation est la suivante:
39 931 cas confirmés
261 569 cas infirmés
1 876 personnes hospitalisées
3 220 décès

Pour en savoir plus sur la situation au Québec : https://t.co/fiqW5E4y8R

— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) May 13, 2020

According to Legault, Quebec is conducting 43,000 tests per million inhabitants, making it “one of the places in the world where until now, we’ve done the most tests.”

He said Quebec started doing 6,000 tests per day, is currently at 9,000, and officials hope to reach 14,000 daily tests in “the next few days.”

The premier passed on two bits of what he called “good news,” citing that 250 CHSLD employees have returned to work, a trend that he hopes will continue.

He also said later this afternoon, Isabelle Charest, Quebec’s Junior Minister of Education and Minister for the Status of Women will be joined by Richard Massé, a strategic medical advisor for public health, to announce when non-contact sports in the province can resume.

Graphique sur la répartition du nombre quotidien de décès liés à la #COVID19 selon le milieu de vie et la date de décèshttps://t.co/H5hxOkB9w6 pic.twitter.com/u1xEU9A7Ce

— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) May 13, 2020

“We’re going to have to live with this virus,” concluded Legault. “If we want to go back to as normal as possible, we have to stick to the guidelines. Two-metre distancing and washing hands. Together, as Quebecers, we can win this fight against the virus. We can get through this and come back to a normal life.”

Canada’s coronavirus death toll now totals 5,209.