Quebec Premier Francois Legault urged Quebecers to reduce their contacts to stem the spread of COVID-19 on Sunday as the province recorded its highest single-day total of infections since the start of the pandemic.
Quebec reported 1,397 new COVID-19 cases and nine additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.
Health officials said two of those deaths occurred in the past 24 hours, while seven took place between Nov. 1-6.
Legault said in a tweet that the province is seeing a "worrying increase" in COVID-19 cases in several parts of the province.
"We need to make an effort to reduce our contacts. Lives are at stake," he said.
Quebec has the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Canada, with 114,820 total cases and 6,440 deaths since the pandemic began.
The government has put restrictions in place in several regions, including the Montreal and Quebec City areas, to limit indoor gatherings.
It has also closed bars, gyms and entertainment venues across much of the province.
Health Minister Christian Dube tweeted on Sunday that the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and Lanaudiere regions was particularly worrying.
Public health officials also said hospitalizations across the province rose by four over a 24-hour period, for a total of 527.
Of that, 77 people were in intensive care — a decrease of one compared to the previous day.
The province said it conducted 25,855 COVID-19 tests on Friday, the last date for which the testing data is available.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2020.
The Canadian Press
