COVID-19 live updates: Quebec reports fewer than 500 cases for second day in a row

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This post will be updated throughout the day on May 24.

Questions/comments: jmagder@postmedia.com

Top updates:

2 p.m.

So-called dark red regions return to red status as emergency measures lifted

The last COVID-19 emergency measures were lifted throughout the province on Monday.

The regional county municipalities of Granit, in the Eastern Townships; Etchemins, de Beauce-Sartignan and Robert-Cliche in Chaudière-Appalaches; and Kamouraska, Témiscouata, Rivière-du-Loup and Les Basques in  Bas-Saint-Laurent went back to red zone designation.

In those zones, all non-essential businesses had been closed, and curfew was imposed from 8 p.m till 5 a.m., as compared to the 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in place for the rest of the province.

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As of Friday, these regions can benefit from the same loosening of restrictions as the rest of Quebec, notably the cancelling of the curfew. Restaurant terraces will be open and gatherings in back yards will be allowed for a maximum of eight people from two households. Travel between regions will also be permitted.

1 p.m.

Vaccine deliveries dip this week, to increase next month

Only 600,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses will be delivered to Canada this week, short of the two million doses set to be delivered.

The long weekend appears to be to blame, but in anticipation of that, 1.4 million doses were delivered last week in anticipation of the holiday.

Pfizer and BioNTech have been consistently delivering doses even as other vaccine makers have struggled to keep their shipments flowing. They’re set to increase their weekly deliveries to 2.4 million doses starting in June.

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Read the full story by Canadian Press here.

11 a.m.

New cases below 500 for the second day in a row

Quebec recorded just 433 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of people infected to 367,809 since the beginning of the pandemic.

It was the second day in a row that new cases were below the 500-mark.

There were 11 new deaths recorded, one of them having occurred in the last 24 hours.

There were three more Quebecers hospitalized for a total of 424. There were also 102 patients in intensive care, a decrease of one.

On Sunday, Quebec administered 66,592 vaccine doses.

Since the start of its vaccination campaign, the province has received 5,829,449 doses of which it has administered 4,997,234.

Of the new cases reported in Quebec on Monday, 160 were in Montreal.

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A total of 130,352 infections have now been confirmed in the Montreal region.

10 a.m.

Walk-in clinic receives more doses

The walk-in vaccination clinic at the Bill Durnan Arena is receiving 1,000 more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, following the success of its vaccination drive on Saturday, when hundreds of young people aged 12 to 17 lined up for the jab.

Due to high demand, 500 additional doses were delivered to the clinic in Côte-des-Neiges on Sunday morning and another 500 will be delivered Monday morning, said said Carl Thériault, a spokesperson for the CIUSSS West Central Montreal.

Read the full story here.

9:45 a.m.

Mayor of Pierrefonds—Roxboro urges people to stay away from closed nature parks

Pierrefonds— Roxboro mayor Jim Beis said he’s extremely frustrated to see people gathering at Cap St-Jacques beach, which is still officially closed.

In recent days, there have been numerous cases of people parking illegally, speeding in the park and flouting health rules, he told the Montreal Gazette’s Marian Scott.

“There are no safeguards in place to control access and to make sure that not only the site, but also the people within are well protected. Yesterday (Saturday), we saw a perfect example of it being a free-for-all,” he said.

Beis, who cycles through the park every day, said he’s been noticing larger and larger crowds at the beach, although it is not yet open for the summer season.

9:15 a.m.

A guide to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

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Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Wondering if the vaccines are safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

9:15 a.m.

Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec

We are regularly updating our list of what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec, including information on the curfew and other lockdown measures.

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You can read it here.

9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

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