Breaking: Quebec on Saturday reports its biggest daily increase yet in the number of #COVID19 variant cases: 771, for a total of 9,558. Positivity rate up to 60.3%. Big data dump. More tweets to come.
2) The Capitale-Nationale is surging with #COVID19 variants, up by 338 cases since Friday. The region is posting a rate of 217.9 variant cases per 100,000 residents, the highest by far of any region. Laval comes in second with a rate of 181.8.
3) The Côte Nord records for the first time variant cases, two of them. This means that the more contagious variants like B.1.1.7 are now circulating in 14 of Quebec's 16 regions.
4) Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Canada's hot spot for the so-called South African variant, reports 128 cases of the B.1.351 strain, up by 13 cases since Friday. Small increases of this variant being observed in other regions, including one more case in Montreal for a total of seven.
5) The Outaouais, where the incidence of #COVID19 has ratcheted up, has suddenly reported five cases of the B.1.525 variant that originated in Nigeria and that has been circulating in New York. This region also now has 38 case of B.1.1.7 (which first arose in the U.K), up by 26.
6) Which brings us to the B.1.1.7 variant, which is at least 50% more contagious than the older wild type strains and deadlier, too. Quebec has confirmed a cumulative total of 1,424 B.1.1.7 cases, up from 995 a few days ago.
7) Chaudière-Appalaches has posted a relatively big increase in B.1.1.7 cases, going from two to 10 such infections. Clearly, the variants are proliferating across Quebec, driving this third wave in the #pandemic.
8) If there is any good news, it's that there is no evidence to date that the P.1 variant has been spreading in Quebec. This variant has led to the collapse of Brazil's health system and is starting to surge in British Columbia.
9) For the 11th day in a row, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks across Quebec has risen. The total is 819, up from 766 the day before. The number of clusters has jumped by 30 to 411 in the workplace, followed by 24 to 213 in schools.
10) Although the total number of #COVID19 hospitalizations dipped by two to 501, they've increased for two days in a row in Montreal. The city's tally is 260, up by seven. The Jewish General and Sacré-Coeur hospitals each reported three new admissions.
11) On the vaccination front, 17.5% of Quebec's population has been partially inoculated. In Montreal, the rate is 23.01%. In the #COVID19 hot spot of Capitale-Nationale, it's 15.84%.
12) The upshot is the third wave is undeniably gathering momentum in Quebec, with signs of an impact on hospitalizations. Although the vaccination campaign has ramped up, it doesn't seem effective yet to counter this latest wave. Please limit your social contacts. End of thread.
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