1) It’s a question I’ve been asked many times during the #COVID19 pandemic: Why has Quebec reported far more deaths than any other province? On the eve of Quebec crossing the 10,000-death threshold, I will try to provide an answer. montrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) First, respectfully, I’m not persuaded by Premier François Legault’s argument Quebec is “more Catholic than the Pope” compared with other jurisdictions in declaring #COVID19 deaths. Making that argument risks absolving the government of its responsibility in the #pandemic. 
3) Quebec, like Ontario, failed our elders living in long-term care centres. For at least two decades, report after report in Quebec denounced the horrific living conditions in these centres. Nothing was done. Then the #pandemic hit, mostly killing people in these facilities.
4) In fact, 73.4% of all #COVID19 deaths have occurred in Quebec's long-term care centres (CHSLDs) and private seniors’ residences (RPAs). Fortunately, the numbers of cases and deaths in these facilities have been dropping during the curfew, and perhaps because of vaccination.
5) During the #pandemic, Quebec made mistakes that other provinces avoided, like allowing orderlies to shuttle back and forth between CHSLDs. British Columbia, by comparison, was aware of the risk and prevented this type of movement of workers.
6) Quebec’s health-care system was battered by years of cutbacks, making it more vulnerable than other provinces during the #pandemic. The cost-cutting administrative reform of the previous government weakened the system even more.
7) There may be other reasons that explain Quebec’s higher death toll, but I’ll leave that debate for others to pursue. In the meantime, the province continued to report declining #COVID19 hospitalizations, with a drop of 30 on Friday to 1,040. ICU stays dipped by seven to 168.
8) Montreal hospitalizations aren’t dropping as fast as in the rest of the province, but they still declined to 514 Friday from 517 the day before. Four hospitals — the Jewish General, St. Mary’s, the Royal Victoria and Santa Cabrini — observed modest increases in admissions.
9) Montreal posted 489 #COVID19 cases Friday, down from 532 the day before. Although Montreal is still firmly in a red zone, its rate of infections dipped to 24.04 per 100,000 residents, almost a full point below Harvard University’s stay-at-home threshold. See the chart below.
10) But amid these welcome trends in the #pandemic is one that’s worrisome: a rise in #COVID19 outbreaks in Quebec schools. Clusters dropped in every sector Friday except in schools, which jumped by 21 to 255. Schools shuttered another 111 classes for a total of 1,159. See below.
11) Given the threat that more transmissible #COVID19 variants pose, Quebec could do a lot more to protect schools, starting with testing students and sequencing samples to find out whether some children may be carrying the new strains. End of thread. Limit your social contacts.
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