Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) As Most Quebecers prepare to return to work and school in 2 weeks' time, it’s worth revisiting the #COVID10 #pandemic in the province. In this thread, I will compare this point in time with the same periods in the last two years. Unfortunately, the comparison is not favorable.

2) This is not to suggest that Quebec will be crashing into an apocalyptic 8th wave this fall, but simply to underscore that the #pandemic is still with us, still churning out new virus variants, still hospitalizing people and still killing Quebecers amid stalled vaccination.

3) On Aug. 19, Quebec declared 999 new #COVID cases; a total of 1,997 hospitalizations (down by 14 from the day before); a dozen new fatalities, raising the death toll to 16,207. ICU stays were up by two, increasing the tally to 47.

4) By comparison, on the same date last year, Quebec reported 436 new #COVID infections; 91 hospitalizations (up by three from the previous day); and zero new fatalities (with a death toll at the time of 11,277). ICU stays were down by one to 27.

5) And in the #pandemic’s first year, on Aug. 19, 2020, the province recorded just 64 new infections; 146 hospitalizations (up by one from the previous day); and zero new deaths (with a toll of 5,729 at the time). ICU stays dipped by one to 26.

6) This comparison reveals that in this third week of August, the #pandemic’s impact has been more severe than for comparable periods in each of the last two years. This can be blamed, in part, on the proliferation of new variants and low booster uptake. See the chart below.

7) Quebec is not alone in struggling to overcome the #pandemic. Dr. @mvankerkhove, the #COVID19 technical lead at the World Health Organization, produced an entire Twitter thread on this subject on Saturday, warning against global complacency.

8) Nowadays, a staggering average of 15,000 “mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, friends…people we love” are dying from #COVID each week, Van Kerkhove wrote. “I know we are tired, but when did this become acceptable?”

9) Back in Quebec, few #pandemic protections remain in place. Only 19% of the population above the age of five has received a second #COVID booster shot. Is Quebec not setting itself up for an 8th wave this fall as BA.5 and other variants continue to circulate? (See below).

10) This #pandemic has walloped health-care systems across Canada, with overcrowded emergency rooms no longer uniquely a Quebec problem. For the sake of our health-care systems, for the sake of the lives of the elderly (see the chart below), Quebecers must resist complacency.

11) In eight days, Quebec will start offering a 5th #COVID vaccine dose to all adults. I know I will get mine. And in light of the latest #pandemic stats, perhaps Quebec authorities should consider reinstating some public health precautions. End of thread.