1) The more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant now appears to be circulating widely in Montreal, the latest data by the public health department suggest. The variant been responsible for at least 22 #COVID19 outbreaks in Montreal since January, mainly in schools and daycare centres.
2) And since last week, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks in schools has jumped by 19 to 117 in the city, with nearly 600 positive cases. In fact, the contagion in schools stands out because clusters have been dropping in nearly every other sector. See the chart below. 
3) And three more Montreal schools — Antoine-de-Saint-Exupery, Adélard-Desrosier and Beth Jacob de Rev Hirschsprung — reported four more suspected cases on Wednesday involving the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the U.K. in December, according to covidecolesquebec.org.
4) Dr. Mylène Drouin, of Montreal public health, implied schools are now B.1.1.7 breeding grounds: “When we look at the distribution of age groups, it’s very much young children and their parents, since the variant returns to the home and there is transmission within the home.”
5) Drouin also urged Montrealers to limit their social contacts, especially given that next week’s March break will “give rise to more time to socialize.” Recall that Montreal quickly became the epicenter of the #pandemic in Canada after last year’s March break.
6) This time around, public health authorities are testing a lot more for #COVID19 and have ramped up vaccinations. On Tuesday, nurses administered first shots to 1,478 Montrealers for a total of 95,164. And a big shipment of vaccines will come next week.
7) However, the B.1.1.7 variant — considered to be at least 50% more contagious than previous strains of #coronavirus — is spreading fast. Quebec on Wednesday posted a cumulative total of 602 presumptive variant cases, up by 118 from the day before.
8) Now we have a much better idea why public health officials have shut schools at the faintest sign of a #COVID19 variant. And it’s also why all pupils in elementary schools in the red zone of Montreal will have to wear masks in class after the March break.
9) The big question — or as Premier François Legault put in on Tuesday, the “big test” — that remains is what will happen with B.1.1.7 transmission in Montreal during the March break. Data on workplace outbreaks might provide an answer.
10) The chart below shows the number of #COVID19 outbreaks in the workplace declined by 13 to 119 since last week. But the number of clusters in large retail or department stores inched up by three to six. Will packed shopping centres next week accelerate the spread of B.1.1.7?
11) And it’s not just shopping centres that will be crowded next week, but public pools, hockey rinks and popcorn-less movie theatres. Under the circumstances, perhaps Quebec should have followed Ontario’s lead in postponing March break until mid-April. End of thread.
Addendum: The following charts could not fit into tonight’s thread, so I’m releasing them here. In an ominous sign, emergency room overcrowding in Montreal and across Quebec is rising, as the chart below indicates. Not a welcome development with B.1.1.7 on the loose.
Addendum 2: It appears the number of new daily #COVID19 cases in Montreal has plateaued in the low 400s in the past few days. Please take a look at the chart below.
Addendum 3: But mercifully, the decline in #COVID19 deaths in Montreal has become more pronounced in the past few days. The total number of #pandemic deaths in the province stands at 10,346, or which 4,489 have occurred in the metropolis.
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