Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) There are signs daily #COVID deaths may be starting to subside in the U.S. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case in Canada. And within Canada, it’s Quebec that's likely driving up the country’s wave of #pandemic deaths. In this thread, I will examine these trends.

2) The chart below by the Washington Post shows clearly that the latest seven-day average of #COVID deaths in Canada is still rising, with the latest rate being 0.32 deaths per 100,000 population or 3.2 per million inhabitants. Please see below.

3) In contrast, the U.S. seven-day rolling average of #COVID deaths may have peaked. To gain a better idea of this trend in the United States, it makes sense to look at the chart below compiled by Our World in Data. That international chart shows the U.S. drop more clearly.

4) Internationally, deaths are rising again in Italy but dropping in Germany. In contrast, #COVID mortality upticks are being observed in the United Kingdom, France and Canada. Again, please consult the chart below.

5) Each jurisdiction around the world records COVID deaths differently. What’s important to note is whether #COVID19 mortality waves are surging, cresting, or dipping. And regardless of how deaths are being compiled around the world, sadly, Quebec’s COVID deaths are accelerating.

6) In its wisdom, the Institut nationale de santé publique has decided to compare #COVID deaths in Quebec with those of other provinces in Canada as well as among a group of industrialized nations around the world, despite the differences in methodologies among jurisdictions.

7) The chart below by the INSPQ shows that Quebec is continuing to pull ahead of other industrialized nations. For example, Quebec’s seven-day average of #COVID deaths yesterday was 6.6 per million population. Today, it’s 7 per million Quebecers.

8) Again — all things being equal insofar as each jurisdiction has not changed the way it calculates deaths in the past few weeks — Quebec’s seven-day average is accelerating faster than other countries and even other provinces. Please review the INSPQ chart below.

9) In my previous thread, I laid out some reasons why Quebec’s rate of deaths is accelerating faster than other provinces. I'm not focusing on deaths out of some gratuitous morbid fascination, but because deaths are seen as the best indicator of the progression of the #pandemic.

10) And I’m reporting on this swift rise of Quebec's #COVID deaths (including interviews on the ground) to call attention to the lack of resources in my home province to deal with this latest turn for the worse — no more, no less. End of thread. Please stay safe, everyone.

ADDENDUM: I forgot to add one last chart. What you will see below shows Quebec's #COVID deaths from Jan. 10 to Jan. 19 of this year, and how this cumulative increase compares with last year. This year's rise is noticeably bigger than for the corresponding period last year.