Quebec sets vaccination record as province again adds more than 1,500 new COVID-19 cases

Quebec is reporting 1,527 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths Friday as vaccination gains ground in the province.

Over the course of the health crisis, there have been 334,071 infections while the death toll now stands at 10,785. Recoveries, meanwhile, have surpassed 309,000.

When it comes to hospitalizations related to the new coronavirus, there are three more patients for a total of 664. This includes 167 people in intensive care, a rise of eight from the previous day.

On the bright side, Quebec set a new vaccination record. Health Minister Christian Dubé says 74,927 shots were given Thursday, the highest single-day tally to date.

READ MORE: What Montreal’s city centre might look like when COVID passes

This includes 15,522 doses in pharmacies — another milestone for the inoculation campaign.

Those numbers are likely to increase as Quebec expands vaccinations to 1,500 pharmacies across the province. Earlier this week, the government said more than 25 per cent of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose.

The rollout is quickly gaining steam, according to Dubé. He wrote on Twitter that the province averaged 66,000 shots per day over the last week, which is “far beyond what we had planned for the month of April.”

So far, the province has administered more than 2.2 million doses.