1) In less than three weeks – 18 days to be precise – the total number of #COVID hospitalizations in Québec plummeted by 1,000 to 2,425, still high but more manageable. In this thread, I'll focus on this fragile progress while drawing attention to a new blind spot: vaccinations. 
2) Jan. 18 had marked the highest number of #COVID hospitalizations at any point in the pandemic in Québec. It was at that juncture that the government considered activating its Plan B, which would have meant sending family members into hospitals to care for their loved ones.
3) Another reassuring trend appears to be a steady decrease in #COVID deaths. Québec has posted declining deaths in the past six days. Please see the red line in the chart below and compare the latest daily toll with the 98 deaths declared on Jan. 20.
4) Still, hospitals continue to be overwhelmed, and surgeons must clear a backlog of what is likely more than 150,000 surgeries. What’s more, #COVID hospitalizations ticked up by 14 on Sunday, confirming the government's projections last week that they would resume rising.
5) This progress in the past few days is likely the result of mask-wearing, #pandemic restrictions, plus the ramp-up in booster vaccinations. This came after a very slow start in Québec late last year, with seniors in their homes being denied the boosters in a timely fashion.
6) Today, 82% of Québec’s population above the age of 60 has been administered a 3rd dose – a factor in the blunting of the mortality wave. But in the past four days, the overall vaccination rate has not budged from 47% – a problem the government seems slow to recognize.
7) Many Québecers in two demographics – those aged 18 to 29 as well as those 40 to 59 – aren't getting their boosters for some reason. Efforts must be redoubled to encourage these adults to go get their 3rd shots, with the super-contagious #Omicron and BA.2 variants on the loose.
8) Another big problem or blind spot – a worldwide one, actually – is the drop-off in #COVID screening. The self-administered rapid home tests (of which 74.5% yielded positive results in Sunday’s tally in Québec) are not enough to adequately measure the spread of the contagion.
9) And in an unfortunate development that defies logic, the Montreal public health department discontinued #COVID screening in schools, the workplace, and daycares as of Jan. 7 – a decision that was never widely publicized. Please read the fine print below.
10) Thus, Québec is now riding partially blind in the #pandemic's 5th wave despite the proliferation of the most contagious #coronavirus strains to date, with booster vaccinations stalling and restrictions being lifted. Is Québec setting itself up for a 6th wave? End of thread.
11) ADDENDUM: The Québec government is poised to declare 56 #COVID deaths Tuesday, according to the ever-reliable @ThomasGerbet of Radio-Canada. This toll likely includes deaths from previous days. Hospitalizations are to drop by 45, but beware this could go back up.
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