1) In the past 10 days, the number of Montrealers dying from #coronavirus jumped more than five-fold —from 29 on April 3 to 162 on Monday. Ninety of those who died lived in long-term care centres and seniors’ residences. In this thread, I look at this crisis among the elderly.

2) Much of the focus, rightfully, has been on the CHSLDs and seniors’ residences. But an interesting stat that hasn’t really been reported is that of all the #COVID deaths declared in Montreal, 47 have occurred in people's homes. Does this mean home care is sorely lacking, too?

3) Although authorities are reporting the number of #COVID deaths each day in Montreal, they aren’t doing so by institution. Given the gravity of this crisis among society’s most vulnerable, it’s high time the government started disclosing those numbers by institution.

4) In my investigation into the Résidence #Herron, I was leaked a detailed breakdown of deaths by every institution on the West Island, both private and public. Why is our government withholding this pertinent information from the public?

5) Quebec discloses surgical wait times by hospital. You can get an almost hourly update on ER occupancy rates in Montreal. So what’s the logic behind not disclosing #COVID death rates by institution in the city and across the province?

6) From the documents I’ve obtained thus far and from my interviews with sources, the picture that emerges in Montreal is that two health regions are very badly hit: the area managed by the West Island CIUSSS and the one overseen by the CIUSSS Centre-Sud.

7) This is not to suggest that the other three Montreal CIUSSS regions have been spared from the #pandemic. We know, for example, that outbreaks have occurred at the private King David seniors’ residence in Côte Saint-Luc and Jewish Eldercare in Côte des Neiges.

8) To date, 31 people have contracted #COVID at Jewish Eldercare. Six days ago, 24 people were infected in its Alzheimer’s ward. By comparison, no other outbreaks have been reported in any other public CHSLD in the Centre-West CIUSSS.

9) Each CIUSSS in Montreal — which were created as part of a highly controversial, cost-cutting reform by former health minister @drgbarrette — are operating as silos, each blind to what the other is doing. It’s time they start sharing more resources and more information, too.

10) In the chart below, one can see how Quebec’s #COVID mortality numbers are rising steadily. In Montreal, the increase in sharper, and is outpacing the rise in new #coronavirus cases daily. And it’s our elderly who are bearing the brunt.

11) Meanwhile, Montreal observed an uptick in new #COVID cases on Monday, breaking a four-day streak of decreasing numbers. Let’s hope this is just a blip and that the city is truly flattening its epidemiological curve.

12) I don’t pretend to have the solutions to this incredibly complex crisis plaguing our elderly. But I do agree with that old line by Louis Brandeis: “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” In this #pandemic, more transparency is welcome. End of thread and stay safe.