COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know this weekend

• Quebec reported 719new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and twonew deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 407,943confirmed casesand11,356people have died.
• There are 297people in hospital (a decrease of four),including 90in intensive care(same as Saturday).
• 19,155vaccine dosesadministered were reportedfor a total of12,818,218doses administered in Quebec.
• 89per cent of the eligible population in the province (age 12 and up) hasreceived one dose of vaccine, and 84per cent hasreceived two doses.

Note:Quebec'sHealth Ministry does not publishthe number of vaccine doses administered over the weekend.

The province's Health Ministry is warning Quebecers about fake vaccination passport apps that could be availableon Google Play.

In a statement released on Friday, the ministry said it received information about people copying the visuals of the app and getting their versions approved for download.

"Steps were taken with Google in order to remove these fake applications as soon as possible," the statement read.

According to the ministry, here's how people can make sure they are downloading the right app:

• The name of the app should beVaxicodefor residents and Vaxicode Verif for businesses, without any extra words before or after and without any accents on any of the letters.
• The province's apps askfor access to your phone camera and your images folder, nothing more.
• The province's apps do not displayads
• The fake apps do not allow people to download QR codes.

Coronerstill hasunanswered questions regarding Herron

The inquest into dozens of deaths that occurred ata long-term care home in the West Island has ended, for now.

47 people died at CHSLD Herron during the pandemic's first wave. At the time, many of the home's 133 residents lived in apalling conditions.

The inquest was scheduled to end on Thursday, butQuebec coroner Ghane Kamel has to extend it with three more daysbecause she said she was left with too many unanswered questions following testimony she described as contradictory.

The inquest will resume at the end of October. Here's a look at what we have learned so far.

New masking rules for private seniors' homes

Masks will be mandatory in common areas of private seniors' residences in several parts of Quebec including in Montreal, Laval, the Eastern Townshipsand Outaouaisstarting next week, the Health Ministry said Friday.

Health officials said there were 67 active cases of COVID-19 at suchresidences across Quebec. Nearly half those cases were linked to an outbreak at Manoir Gouin in Montreal, where 32 residents have active cases of COVID-19, and three have died.

There have been no other deaths linked to active COVID-19 outbreaks in the province's private seniors' homes, where people live with more autonomy than in long-term care homes, known as CHSLDs.

Health officials said there were 41 cases of COVID-19 linked to CHSLDs and two deaths connected with active outbreaks in those centres.

New law against protesting

On Thursday, Quebecpassed a law that makes it illegal to protest within 50 metres ofschools, daycares, hospitals, medical clinics, mobile clinics,COVID-19 vaccination sites and testing centres.

Law 105 was fast-tracked and adopted several hours after being tabled by Quebec Public Security Minister Genevive Guilbault.

The law is a direct response to several anti-vaccine protests that have taken place outside primary and secondary schools in Montreal in recent weeks. Other such protestshave been held outside hospitals.

"We're taking action to protect our children, protect our nurses [and] protect our patients," Premier Franois Legault said on Thursday morning.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Groups say Quebec's bonus pay for nurses won't solve staffing crisis.
• The owner of Herron says there was chaos and confusion at the height of the nursing home's crisis.
• Pfizer-BioNTech say COVID-19 vaccine induced strong immune response in kids aged 5-11.
• Quebec says gathering teachers' personal data is essential to understanding vaccination rate.
• Nurses recall scenes of neglect, disorder and horror at theinquiry into the Herron long-term care home.
• Montreal public health asks post-secondary schools to help with COVID-19 contact tracing.