TORONTO —
Without explaining its new criteria, Quebec announced a dramatic rise in the number of “recovered” COVID-19 cases in the province and a new system for measuring them.
A whopping 23,686 people were recorded as newly recovered in Quebec on Friday. The undisclosed new system slashes the number of active cases in Canada by more than 80 per cent.
On Thursday, there were a reported 27,603 active cases across the country, but Friday’s announcement in Quebec brings the total number of active cases in Canada to just 4,058.
The change comes after weeks of Quebec’s recovery figures lagging behind other provinces with active cases still exceeding 25,000. Daily recovery numbers ranged from as low as 49 on Monday, to as high as 156 on Thursday.
There are now just 1,556 active cases in Quebec.
It’s unclear what has changed in the province’s criteria for designating a case as “recovered” since Quebec health authorities did not provide an explanation of their methodology before and after the new surge. Last month, the province back-pedalled on it announcement not to provide daily updates on the number of new cases after officials faced scrutiny and calls for transparency.
