Quebec Reported 16,461 New COVID-19 Cases — Another Record

As a province-wide curfew comes into effect, Quebec is reporting 16,461 new COVID-19 cases, breaking its record for the fourth day in a row.

Quebec announced that it had surpassed the 14,000 daily case mark for the first time on December 30. It broke the 13,000 case barrier in its December 29 report and the 12,000 case mark on December 28.

On December 31, the province reported 1,063 hospitalizations — an increase of 124. One hundred and fifty-one people were in intensive care, which is 13 more people than the day prior.

Thirteen more people have died.

Experts have warned, however, that official case counts are likely unreliable in part because of the introduction of rapid at-home testing. Epidemiologist and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health doctoral candidate Prativa Baral told MTL Blog last week that the numbers represent "an undercount."

"Our testing capacity is maxed out," Baral said, "so we're not actually seeing what's happening with the case numbers."

At a press conference on Thursday evening, Quebec introduced several new measures that would be implemented starting on December 31 at 5 a.m. including the curfew and a ban on private gatherings, putting an end to any remnant New Year's party plans.

The provincial government also announced that restaurant dining rooms would be shutting down and that most stores — which were already limited to 50% capacity — would need to close on Sundays.

Fines for violating the curfew, which is in place between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., range from $1,000 to $6,000.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.