Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) Although Premier François Legault has announced lockdowns in Quebec City, Lévis and Gatineau, the variant-fueled #pandemic is now rising in nearly every region of the province, the latest government statistics show. In this thread, I will assess this turn for the worse.

2) As you can see from the chart below, #COVID19 cases have ramped up since Wednesday in 15 of Quebec’s 17 regions. Although the number of cases dipped by 21 in the Montérégie, they’re up by 30 overall since March 21.

3) Undeniably, #COVID19 is surging in the Capitale-Nationale, but cases have risen in the past three days in Montreal amid an increase in outbreaks in the workplace and in schools. As I wrote in yesterday’s thread, the situation in Montreal is definitely precarious.

4) The province on Thursday reported a total of 1,271 #COVID19 cases. The same day, the public health institute declared an increase of 625 variants. This suggests that nearly half of all new cases may come from the more contagious variants.

5) A variant case was confirmed for the first time in the Gaspésie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine, raising to 14 the total number of regions with the more transmissible #coronavirus strains. The Capitale-Nationale edged out Montreal with one more variant case. See below.

6) But look to Laval to observe that it’s recording the greatest number of variant cases per 100,000 residents, 164.1. At present 16.33% of Laval’s population has been partially vaccinated, compared with the provincial rate of 16.4% and Montreal’s rate of 22.06%.

7) Although #COVID19 hospitalizations dipped by six to 245 in Montreal, they’ve been going up in the Capitale-Nationale, especially at Hôpital de l’enfant-Jésus. Physicians in the region are concerned that the pace of hospital admissions is high.

8) Meanwhile, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks climbed for the 9th day in a row across the province. Clusters rose by 16 to 365 in the workplace, by four to 179 in schools and by two to 68 in health-care settings. The overall tally is 733, up from 550 on March 22.

9) Back to schools. The Education Ministry reported that #COVID19 exposure has forced schools to close 1,284 classes across the province. There are more than 2,800 active cases among students and staff, up by more than a thousand since the end of the March break.

10) Given these trends — and with the long Easter weekend ahead and the prospect of some family relatives getting together in violation of public health restrictions — it would not be surprising for the #pandemic to deteriorate sharply in some regions soon. End of thread.