Quebec adds 30 COVID-19 deaths as province set to lift mask mandate | Globalnews.ca

Quebec recorded 30 new deaths associated with the COVID-19 health crisis Friday as the province prepares to ease its mask mandate this weekend.

Pandemic-related hospitalizations stood at 1,754, a net drop of 67. In the last day, there were 92 admissions and 159 discharges.

There were 59 patients with the disease in intensive care units, a decrease of one.

The province reported 900 new official cases of the novel coronavirus based on PCR testing, which remains limited to certain groups.

Government-run screening sites administered 13,310 tests on Wednesday, the latest day for which that information is available.

Officials say the results of 224 rapid tests were declared by the general population in the last day, including 182 positive results.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign issued another 20,365 doses in the past 24 hours for more than 19.7 million shots to date.

The daily tally showed 6,115 health-care workers were off the job for pandemic-related reasons, down 297 from the previous day.

Quebec’s official caseload reached 1,056,177 in the latest roundup. The death toll, meanwhile, stood at 15,256.

Mask mandate to end this weekend

The update comes as the province’s broad mask mandate will come to an end starting Saturday. They are still recommended in public places, notably for seniors and vulnerable people.

Masks will continue to be required on public transit and in certain health-care settings, including hospitals and long-term care centres.

Health Minister Christian Dubé said Friday he has confidence in Quebecers’ ability to navigate the new rules. He also noted that public health officials have given their approval to lift the measure.

The province was the last to remove the indoor mask obligation, and Dubé said officials would revisit the remaining masking orders after further studies.

He described the coming weeks as a transition period for Quebec, where masking has been mandatory in indoor public places since July 2020.

“I think we are at the stage of the pandemic where we can remove the (masking) obligation, except for specific sectors,” Dubé said. “We want to be prudent, especially in those three or four sectors.”

— with files from The Canadian Press