1) Although Quebec continues to lead the country in the number of #COVD19 deaths per million population, other provinces are now beginning to catch up, underscoring the gravity of this terrible fifth wave. In this thread, I will discuss what this means for Canada and Quebec.
2) First, though, I would like to recognize a sombre milestone crossed: Quebec on Wednesday declared a total of 13,009 COVID deaths — by far, the highest of any province. The chart below shows how the current wave of #pandemic deaths has surpassed last January’s.
3) But as I noted in my last thread — confirmed by reporting by the Canadian Press — the wave of #COVID deaths in Quebec has exposed a new fatal blind spot in the government’s handling of the #pandemic: the tardy 3rd dose vaccination of elderly shut-ins.
4) The chart below shows Quebec continuing to lead the provinces with a rolling seven-day average of eight COVID deaths per million population. However, that rate has dipped from 8.4 nearly a week ago, suggesting that #pandemic mortality may have peaked in Quebec in this wave.
5) The other big surprise in the chart by Quebec’s public health institute is the surge in #COVID deaths in Prince Edward Island. P.E.I. now ranks second on the inter-provincial chart, confirming the latest news of nine deaths this month alone in Canada’s smallest province.
6) But deaths are surging in other provinces, too, as predicted by Tara Moriarity (@MoriartyLab) an expert in these matters. Unfortunately, Moriarity’s work is being politicized, slammed by Saskatchwan Premier Scott Moe and praised by Premier François Legault, for their own ends.
7) And contrary to Legault’s repeated assertions that inter-provincial comparisons don’t make sense (except when they do in showing Quebec in a favorable light, see below), the latest trends across the country truly illustrate the gravity of this latest wave in the #pandemic.
8) COVID deaths are now rising fast in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. What'll be important to confirm is whether Ontario’s decision to give booster shots to older people in the community earlier than Quebec will make a difference in its mortality rate.
9) Perhaps that’s the saddest, most tragic aspect of this latest wave of the #pandemic in Quebec. What if authorities had administered third doses to seniors in the community earlier? Would that proactive measure have saved more lives? End of thread. Please go get your shot.
ADDENDUM: Before somebody brings this up — unless they have already — I forgot to point out that #COVID deaths are climbing, too, in New Brunswick and British Columbia.
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1) Author @GadSaad, who has taken an unpaid leave from Concordia University, has just written this commentary in the New York Post, headlined: "How Montreal became the antisemitism capital of North America." Here are my thoughts on this topic.
2) Obviously, it's debatable as to whether Montreal is indeed the antisemitism capital of the continent. As many Jews are painfully aware, antisemitism sadly exists everywhere. But recent events in Montreal have caused many Jews here to feel unsafe. montrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
3) A friend just sent this text: "Recently, several of my Jewish friends - lifelong Montrealers - have made the difficult decision to leave the city. They’re not leaving for better opportunities or a change of scenery, but because they and their children no longer feel safe...+"
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.