1) Montreal on Wednesday reported the total number of #COVID19 outbreaks jumped by 67 to 549 since a week ago, with most clusters erupting in schools and the workplace. In this thread, I will gauge the potential impact that reopening stores Monday will have on viral transmission. 
2) Outbreaks in the workplace are linked to the second greatest number of #COVID19 cases after those in hospitals and eldercare homes. The manufacturing sector was responsible for most of the outbreaks in Montreal workplaces last week. Please review the chart below.
3) Clusters of #COVID19 rose by two to 22 in Montreal’s retail stores. This slight increase doesn't augur well for the reopening of these businesses Monday, especially as authorities are bracing for the more contagious B117 variant to hit Quebec possibly as early as next month
4) Although the biggest increase in #COVID19 outbreaks occurred in elementary and high schools, they were linked to a relatively small number of cases, 280. But that number is deceptive, because the #coronavirus is now surging in the city’s schools. Please see below.
5) At their news conference Tuesday, Premier François Legault and public health officer Horacio Arruda did not mention outbreaks, but declining #COVID19 hospitalizations and cases. Yet the rising outbreaks do raise questions about the decision to reopen stores and hairdressers.
6) Meanwhile, Montreal posted 494 #COVID19 cases Wednesday following the usual drop-off in weekend testing. The city’s seven-day rolling average was 24.47 infections per 100,000 residents, still below Harvard University’s stay-at-home threshold. Please see the chart below.
7) Community transmission of the #coronavirus was trending down across Montreal, likely the result of the nightly curfew which will remain in force in the city. In the borough of Saint-Léonard, the positivity rate dropped by 6% to a still-high 17.3% since last week. See below.
8) Provincially, #COVID19 hospitalizations dipped by four to 1,106 on Wednesday. In Montreal, they were stuck at 524, but down by more than 200 from three weeks ago. Five of the city’s 17 hospitals reported minor increases in admissions ranging from two to three.
9) With a few Montreal schools already shut temporarily due to #COVID19 and outbreaks on the rise, it’s clear that the progress in flattening the second wave is tenuous at best. That challenge will become all the more difficult after next Monday's store reopenings. End of thread.
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