Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) Although Quebec continues to lead the country in the number of #COVD19 deaths per million population, other provinces are now beginning to catch up, underscoring the gravity of this terrible fifth wave. In this thread, I will discuss what this means for Canada and Quebec.

2) First, though, I would like to recognize a sombre milestone crossed: Quebec on Wednesday declared a total of 13,009 COVID deaths — by far, the highest of any province. The chart below shows how the current wave of #pandemic deaths has surpassed last January’s.

3) But as I noted in my last thread — confirmed by reporting by the Canadian Press — the wave of #COVID deaths in Quebec has exposed a new fatal blind spot in the government’s handling of the #pandemic: the tardy 3rd dose vaccination of elderly shut-ins.

4) The chart below shows Quebec continuing to lead the provinces with a rolling seven-day average of eight COVID deaths per million population. However, that rate has dipped from 8.4 nearly a week ago, suggesting that #pandemic mortality may have peaked in Quebec in this wave.

5) The other big surprise in the chart by Quebec’s public health institute is the surge in #COVID deaths in Prince Edward Island. P.E.I. now ranks second on the inter-provincial chart, confirming the latest news of nine deaths this month alone in Canada’s smallest province.

6) But deaths are surging in other provinces, too, as predicted by Tara Moriarity (@MoriartyLab) an expert in these matters. Unfortunately, Moriarity’s work is being politicized, slammed by Saskatchwan Premier Scott Moe and praised by Premier François Legault, for their own ends.

7) And contrary to Legault’s repeated assertions that inter-provincial comparisons don’t make sense (except when they do in showing Quebec in a favorable light, see below), the latest trends across the country truly illustrate the gravity of this latest wave in the #pandemic.

8) COVID deaths are now rising fast in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. What'll be important to confirm is whether Ontario’s decision to give booster shots to older people in the community earlier than Quebec will make a difference in its mortality rate.

9) Perhaps that’s the saddest, most tragic aspect of this latest wave of the #pandemic in Quebec. What if authorities had administered third doses to seniors in the community earlier? Would that proactive measure have saved more lives? End of thread. Please go get your shot.

ADDENDUM: Before somebody brings this up — unless they have already — I forgot to point out that #COVID deaths are climbing, too, in New Brunswick and British Columbia.