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1) An east-end seniors' residence appears to have been hit with a #COVID19 outbreak while the province reported a small uptick in hospitalizations Tuesday. In this thread, I will explain why Quebec needs to adopt a more prudent approach despite its progress in the #pandemic.
2) Les appartements du Square Angus posted four cases in the past 24 hours, adding to a tally of seven, according to the latest provincial update. Meanwhile on the West Island, a #COVID19 patient who was admitted to the Lakeshore General's ER had to be hospitalized recently.
3) Speaking of ERs, the chart below shows the state of emergency-room overcrowding is worsening not only in Montreal, as you can glimpse from the chart below, but in six other regions. The ERs are packed with non-COVID patients, but that could change in a #pandemic second wave.
4) Montreal identified 16 #COVID19 cases Tuesday, compared with 25 in Toronto. But Montreal’s lower total is taking place amid less screening, with the most recent figure being 8,710 on Sunday — well below the provincial goal of 14,000 daily tests. Please see the chart below.
5) At the neighborhood level, the chart below shows that most Montreal districts continue to observe new #COVID19 cases every day. True, the numbers are low, but the chart suggests the #coronavirus is still circulating widely. In that context, vigilance is essential.
6) On Thursday, French-language schools will reopen. Yet Education Minister Jean-François Roberge has refused to let private schools make face coverings mandatory in class, a measure Ontario is requiring for all students in Grades 4 and up. What’s wrong with being more prudent?
7) The government also dismissed a letter by 150 Montreal physicians and scientists who are asking for compulsory masks in classrooms and #PhysicalDistancing. Again, what’s wrong with taking a more prudent approach, especially since Quebec initially wanted six-student bubbles?
8) And the government announced Tuesday it won’t allow the federal COVID Alert contact-tracing app, despite 77% of Quebecers saying they support it in an online consultation. Why can’t the government leave it up to the individuals themselves to decide whether to download it?
9) Yet Quebec is sticking to public gatherings of 250 people, a decision that probably led to a massive dance party on Mount-Royal without face coverings Aug. 16, and authorities pleading with anyone who had been to a Salsa dance event at Lafontaine Park recently to get tested.
