1) Quebec declared six more #COVID19 outbreaks in the workplace Friday and five more in schools as the #pandemic continued to spread into more settings across the province. In this thread, I will evaluate the latest provincial and federal projections.
2) The government reported a total of 1,259 #COVID19 clusters Friday. Among the new outbreaks is one at the detention centre in New Carlisle infecting 44 out of 55 inmates, as well as five guards. And at a Quebec City convent, the #coronavirus has infected 39 nuns and 43 workers.
3) Although most outbreaks have erupted in eldercare centres, the workplace, schools and daycares, the flare-ups at the Quebec City convent and the prison in the outlying Gaspésie region suggest that the second wave has yet to crest. Federal projections reinforce this view.
4) Quebec on Friday posted 1,259 new #COVID19 cases. The Public Health Agency of Canada projects that by mid-December, the number of daily cases will rise to between 1,500 and 1,700, right before gatherings of 10 people are held to celebrate Christmas. See the chart below. 
5) For its part, the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux warns in its projections that hospital bed capacity in regions outside Montreal is at risk of being exceeded by mid-December. To his credit, Health Minister Christian Dubé has flagged this.
6) Despite these projections and the fact Quebec added 32 more #COVID19 fatalities to a death toll that's climbed to 6,774 (with 1,012 occurring to date in the second wave), the government has not introduced any new measures, and intends to relax the existing ones for Christmas.
7) Meanwhile, the Education Ministry reported #COVID19 cases in six more schools, raising the total to 1,034. Covidecolesquebec.org has identified 17 more schools with at least one case since Thursday. Despite this, there’s still no word on air purifiers for classrooms.
8) Although Montreal is no longer the epicenter of the #pandemic in Canada (and Toronto is now reporting more daily #COVID19 cases), it still posted 294 infections Friday amid plenty of outbreaks in the workplace and in schools. Please see the chart below.
9) The #coronavirus has proved elusive and wily, infecting two to three dozen Montrealers in a given neighborhood one day and in another district the next. In the chart below, the health district of Rivières-des-Prairies, Anjou and Montreal East claimed the highest number, 46.
10) Finally, Montreal recorded three more #COVID19 fatalities for a death toll that's reached 3,589. That compares with 2,375 in Paris, a city with a slightly larger population than Montreal. End of thread. Enjoy the weekend everyone. Stay safe, wear a mask and socially distance.
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