Quebec reports nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday
Quebec’s total COVID-19 cases have surpassed 900,000 since the start of the pandemic; 1,837 have been added in the last 24 hours.
According to the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux, total cases have reached 908,566 since March 2020.
Public health has added 23 additional virus-related deaths, totalling 13,835 across the province.
There are 1,834 hospitalizations, a decrease of 68 compared to Thursday. Of the hospitalizations, 119 are in intensive care, a decrease of five from the previous day.
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Since December 2020, over 18 million vaccines have been distributed in Quebec.
On Thursday, Health Canada officially authorized Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for use after they submitted it for approval last year. Novavax is currently evaluating the vaccine efficacy against the Omicron variant and is conducting booster clinical trials.
At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Quebec’s Health Minister, Christian Dubé, announced a three-step plan for the removal of the province’s VaxiCode passport.
As of March 14, the vaccine passport will be removed from all sites, including restaurants and long-term care homes.
The Health Minister also told the media that the province could be following suit with the easing of current mask mandates.
Although masks are still required in all public indoor spaces, that may be subject to change in the coming weeks, as soon as March 14.