Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) COVID-19 outbreaks in Quebec workplaces are not getting the attention they deserve, but they’ve been surging just as much, if not more, than those in schools. On Friday, the number of such clusters jumped by 25 to 499. In this thread, I will address the workplace phenomenon.

2) Since April 1, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks in schools across Quebec has risen from 175 to 251, or 43%. During the same period, workplace outbreaks have climbed from 349 to 499, or 43% as well. Yet the risks of workplace contagion are not being discussed as much.

3) Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Quebec made masks mandatory for employees in all workplaces on Thursday. No doubt the more transmissible variants spurred public health authorities to act more aggressively in this third wave. But which workplaces are the most vulnerable?

4) Bars and restaurants have been closed to the public for months now, so they can’t be considered. But data released this week by the Montreal public health department indicate that most outbreaks have occurred in fabrication, followed by grocery stores. Please see below.

5) Meanwhile, the number of #COVID19 cases rose in eight regions across Quebec on Friday, including in Montreal. The metropolis reported 392 cases, up from 370 the day before. The chart below would appear to show evidence of the slightest third wave forming.

6) As of Friday morning, one in four Montrealers had received at least one dose of a #COVID19 vaccine. But at the same time, the more transmissible variants have been multiplying in the city and elsewhere as the chart below by Quebec’s public institute reveals.

7) Undoubtedly, the Quebec City region is the hardest-hit, with a rate of 419.1 variant cases per 100,000 residents, compared with 215.7 in Montreal. What’s more, the Capitale-National posted 449 cases to Montreal’s 390.

8) Quebec City hospitalizations due to #COVID19 are also rising, with Hôpital de L’enfant-Jésus posting a total of 40 admissions Friday, up from 31 on Monday. The chart below shows an increase of seven hospitalizations provincially in the 70-to-79 age cohort.

9) Finally, let me return to the subject of school outbreaks, the seriousness of which cannot be overstated. On Friday, the Education Ministry reported that 9,037 classrooms have been shuttered, up by 24 from the day before. That is not a typo. See the chart below.

10) Authorities have ratcheted up #COVID19 testing to more than 44,000 two days ago. Vaccinations are ramping up. Schools are being shut at the slightest hint of a variant-driven outbreak. But it’s business as usual in workplaces. End of thread. Please limit your social contacts.