Aaron Derfel Profile picture
Jun 24, 2021 11 tweets 6 min read Read on X
1) Quebec on Wednesday fell from second to third place in its #COVID19 vaccination rate among provinces, behind British Columbia. Surprisingly, Ontario is now in first place among provinces, as the chart below indicates.
2) What’s more, nearly 24% of Ontario’s population is fully vaccinated compared with 18.86% in Quebec. Clearly, Quebec has a lot more to do to find ways for younger adults to get vaccinated, including the possibility of paid leave to workers seeking second shots.
3) Despite lower-than-expected vaccinations and #COVID19 testing, Montreal continues to report reassuring numbers under the direction of its apolitical head of public health, Dr. Mylène Drouin. The chart below shows a decrease of 30 #COVID19 outbreaks in the city since last week.
4) What’s more, #COVID19 outbreaks fell for the second week in a row in every category in Montreal, as the chart below indicates. This is an unexpected development, because one would have anticipated at least one increase following the lifting of public health restrictions.
5) Montreal on Thursday posted 44 #COVID19 cases. For context only: On the corresponding date last year, the city declared just 17 cases (amid even lower testing). The chart below suggests a new lower plateau of cases in the 20-to-40 range.
6) Provincially, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks dipped by four to 139. The one troubling number was a doubling in of clusters associated with events, as the chart below reveals. This underscores the importance of continued mask-wearing and #PhysicialDistancing.
7) With the school year ending officially on Wednesday, the number of active #COVID19 cases among students and staff dropped by 32 to 393 across the province. There were 33 fewer classes shuttered and one school that had closed temporarily reopened.
8) Also Wednesday, Ontario reported 59 more Delta variant cases for a total of 975. So far, Quebec has reported a puzzlingly low 35 cases (half of which are Delta, half Kappa). This discrepancy alone between neighboring provinces calls for more vigilance in Quebec. End of thread.
Addendum: I have decided to take some time off from writing this thread, given that I’ve been producing this nightly since March 19, 2020. I’ve written enough tweets to fill two books on #COVID19 in Quebec.
Addendum 2: This doesn't mean I believe the #pandemic no longer poses a threat. It still does. But along with mostly everyone else, I think it’s time to enjoy one’s vacation, which I'll do with my beloved family, starting tonight on the eve of la Fête nationale (also my b-day).
Addendum 3: When I return to work in the second week of July, I will tweet threads on the #pandemic as warranted. I expect the true test will come with the start of the school and university year in September. Thanks for all the support and keep the comments and questions coming!

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More from @Aaron_Derfel

Aug 16
1) BREAKING: The lengthy #COVID19 summer wave is continuing unabated in Quebec, along with other parts of North America and even around the world. Here in Quebec, it has been associated directly and indirectly with 1,100 hospitalizations for the past 12 days in a row. Image
2) As you can glimpse from the chart below, the #COVID testing positivity rate in Quebec was 20.9 per cent as of Aug. 11, the most recent date available. The trend line suggests the positivity rate has yet to peak. Image
3) Although nowhere near as fatal as it was back in 2020 (when vaccination was unavailable), #COVID this year has nonetheless been linked to 675 deaths, 38.7 per cent of which have occurred in octogenarians. But 30 Quebecers in their 50s have also died from #COVID in 2023-2024. Image
Read 8 tweets
Mar 13
1) On Tuesday, the Quebec government unveiled its 2024-2025 budget, with the biggest expenditure to be made on health and social services. In this Twitter thread, I assess whether this "Health/Education Priorities" budget lives up to its hype, especially when it comes to seniors.
2) As you can see from the chart below, the lion's share of spending in the budget is for health and social services, pegged at $61.9 billion — up by 4.17% from the year before. In contrast, spending on education — so vital to Quebec's future — will rise 9.35% to $22.3 billion. Image
3) But as far as health and social services is concerned, Tuesday's budget may be indulging in a bit of spin. The chart below states that Quebec will spend an extra $3.7 billion over the next five years to "support a humane and effective organization of health care." Image
Read 9 tweets
Jan 5
1) "The pandemic is far from over," one of the preeminent experts on #COVID19, Dr. Eric Topol, declared today, Jan. 4, 2024 — three years after the world first learned of a novel virus that was killing people in China. In this thread, I take stock of what's going on in Quebec.
2) "The pandemic is far from over, as evidenced by the rapid rise to global dominance of the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2," Topol noted in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. In Quebec, nearly one in two genetic samples collected was from JN.1 as of two weeks ago. It's likely higher now. Image
3) "Clearly this virus variant, with its plethora of new mutations, has continued its evolution ... for infecting or reinfecting us," Topol added. Although the updated booster is considered 60% protective against hospitalization, only 17% of the Quebec population has taken it.
Read 10 tweets
Dec 17, 2023
1) BREAKING: By every major indicator, Quebec's health-care system is now arguably the worst it's ever been. Please click on my story below on Quebec wait lists for cancer and other surgery setting record highs — again. via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) Although Quebec has made it a priority to tackle wait lists for cancer surgery, more than 4,400 oncology patients are still waiting for their operations. More than 600 are waiting longer than the medically acceptable delay of 57 days, potentially putting their health at risk. Image
3) Even the wait list for so-called non-urgent surgery has now swelled to nearly 164,000 people. Almost 14,000 Quebecers today have been waiting more than a year for their surgery. At a year's wait, a non-urgent surgery starts to become urgent. Image
Read 14 tweets
Dec 6, 2023
1) BREAKING: Quebec, like other jurisdictions across North America, is now in the midst of a new #COVID19 resurgence — nearly 4 years into the #pandemic. In this thread, I will assess the implications of this latest wave of infections, likely driven by a new SARS-CoV-2 variant. Image
2) On Dec. 5, Quebec declared a total of 2,214 hospitalizations with and for #COVID. Please note this increase also reflects a change in the way Quebec's public health institute has been compiling such hospitalizations. But make no mistake: Quebec is still facing a resurgence. Image
3) The United States is also facing a #COVID hospitalizations resurgence, with 20,000 new admissions per week, according to preeminent expert @EricTopol. In the U.S., the JN.1 variant is becoming dominant, with wastewater levels surging with SARS-CoV-2. See Topol's tweet below. Image
Read 10 tweets
Nov 13, 2023
1) BREAKING: Jewish-owned businesses in Montreal are being targeted and vandalized with antisemitic profanity. Please click below to read my report.
via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) "Last weekend, they put swastikas on the … menus downtown and they wrote FUCK THE JEWS," a Jewish business owner told me. I have also seen a list of Jewish businesses that is circulating, provoking not only boycotts but vandalism.
3) The Gazette has decided not to publish these disturbing images, as the Jewish business owners are fearful of reprisals.
Read 4 tweets

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