QUEBEC ADDS 2,519 NEW INFECTIONS AS CURFEW LOOMS

Quebec is reporting 2,519 new COVID-19 infections, one day after Premier François Legault announced he will impose a four-week curfew to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Health officials are also reporting 74 more deaths, including 16 in the past 24 hours. Officials say hospitalizations dropped by 13, to 1,380, and 202 people were in intensive care, the same number as the prior day. The province says it administered 9,960 doses of vaccine Wednesday, for a total of 48,632. Legault said Wednesday that the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, which begins Saturday, is “shock treatment” for Quebecers, who he said need to be jolted into appreciating the seriousness of the health crisis. Quebec has reported 220,518 confirmed cases of COVID and 8,562 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.