COVID-19 vaccination ramps up in Quebec, Ontario as supply worries ease

Quebec recorded 613 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the lowest daily increase in months, as the province began its mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

"We should receive around 175,000 doses of vaccine per week in March and therefore we will move quickly", Legault wrote.

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The province is reporting 137 confirmed cases involving variants, with majority identified as the B.1.1.7 mutation first detected in the United Kingdom.

One year later, government officials said the more transmissible variants cropping up in the province represent the most pressing concern.

Christian Dube noted that the situation in the province has been stable for the last week, but asked Quebecers not to let their guard down as spring break begins. "Although the data is encouraging, the virus is still circulating and cases of variants continue to increase".

Canada's pandemic hotspots are taking diverging approaches to handling the COVID-19 crisis, as Ontario prepares to trigger new lockdown measures in two public health units and Quebec enters a week of spring break. The positive test confirmed by the provincial lab was re-confirmed the next day by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. Of that total, 269,530 people had recovered and 7,817 were considered active cases.

Quebec and Ontario are expanding their COVID-19 vaccination programs to members of the general population, as hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccine are set to arrive in the country this week.

Quebec has so far concentrated its vaccination effort on health-care workers, people living in remote regions and seniors in closed environments, such as long-term care and private seniors residences.

The province has chosen to delay giving second doses in favour of administering a first jab to as many people as possible, but the province's health minister said last week it will provide second doses beginning March 15.

Legault urged Quebecers to avoid gatherings as the province picks up the vaccination pace.