COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Monday

• On Monday, Quebec reported 1,002people in hospital (an increase of 13from the previous day), including 48in intensive care (an increaseof three fromthe previous day).
• The province reported 907new cases of COVID-19 and fivedeaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 945,506confirmed cases, and 14,265people have died.
• The province also reported Monday a total of18,571,415doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered, including3,835doses in the last 24 hours.
• 91 per cent of the eligible population in the province (agedfive and up) have received one dose of the vaccine;87per cent have received two doses, and 52 per cent have received three doses.

*The new cases are those reported to the Quebec government only. They are believed to be an underrepresentation of the virus's spread, given the limited availability of PCR tests and use of home testing kits.

*Quebec's Health Ministry announced it will no longerreport itsCOVID-19 numberson the weekend.

As Quebec gears up to lift mask mandates in most indoor settings by mid-April, Ontario dropped the measure today even as experts warn of an increase in infections and hospitalizations in the coming weeks as a result.

Like Quebec, health experts and officials in Ontario generally agreethat individuals should weigh their own risk when deciding whether to wear a mask to curb their own chances of infection and the spread of the virus.

Recent modelling by Ontario health officials suggest hospitalizations will likely rise in the province with the lifting of the measure and theBA.2 subvariantwill likely become the dominant strain of COVID-19 this month.

Meanwhile, due to Quebec's declining rate ofhospitalizationsandhigh vaccination and immunity rates, the province has proposed toscrapmasks in most public places by mid-April, and sometime in May for public transit.

Some municipalities in the province say they intendto keep the mask mandate in certain areas, even after the province removes the requirement.

Return of Montreal's St. Patrick's Day parade

Downtown Montreal was awash in green Sunday as the St. Patrick's Day parade graced the city'sstreets after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While scaled down in size, with no parade floats and a sparser crowd, revellerssportinggreen hats and green plastic rain ponchos turned out in high spiritsto watch the musicians and marchers make their way down the parade route.

The Montrealcelebration of Irish culture was among the first events to be cancelled in 2020 and then again in 2021 due to the pandemic. But as COVID-19 protocols are being lifted across Canada, the event was reintroduced this year with fewer participants.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Quebec liftingsome pandemic measures early,to soon lift public masking requirements.
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• Quebecscraps masks in class for elementary, high school students after March break.
• Is it the right time to lift Quebec's vaccination passport? Experts are divided..
• Quebecers aged 12-17 are now eligible for a 3rd dose.
• Data, tests and transparency: What Quebec needs to live with COVID-19.