1) On the eve of French-language schools reopening Thursday in Montreal, the city and province have been hit with several concerning developments, no doubt fueling the anxiety of many parents. In this thread, I will try to make sense of the latest numbers.

2) Montreal posted at least 36 #COVID cases Wednesday, up from 16 the day before, as the orange line in the chart below shows. I say "at least" because the tally might actually be 76. Authorities are re-evaluating whether 40 positive results were the result of lab contamination.

3) Meanwhile, the #COVID19 outbreak at Les appartements du Square Angus in Montreal’s east-end grew by one case to eight. On the West Island, the emergency room of the Lakeshore General Hospital reported a new #pandemic case Tuesday night, the fourth since Saturday.

4) The Lakeshore ER, like many in Quebec, is grappling with a surge in admissions, mostly from non-COVID patients. The city reported arguably its worst ER overcrowding day since the start of the #pandemic, as the chart below shows. Maisonneuve-Rosemont is particularly hard hit.

5) Overall, however, #COVID19 hospitalizations are still trending downward as more people recover. The chart below of the McGill University Health Centre shows the dramatic drop in such hospitalizations. In the last few days, there have been zero new hospitalizations.

6) At the neighborhood level, every city health district reported new #COVID19 cases, according to the chart below by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Five districts recorded at least five cases each, suggesting again community transmission of the #coronavirus.

7) City health authorities released the weekly portrait of community transmission. In the chart below, you can spot an anomaly: Kirkland abruptly declaring 10 #COVID19 cases in the past week. Transmission continues in the west end, notably in densely populated Côte-des-Neiges.

8) Outside Montreal, 28 people have tested positive for the #coronavirus in the Sherbrooke neighborhood of Ascot from Aug. 14 to Aug. 25, according to La Tribune. That’s one of the reasons why authorities will hold a mobile screening clinic on Thursday. https://www.latribune.ca/actualites/28-residents-dun-meme-quartier-de-sherbrooke-positifs-a-la-covid-19-71d7414dbe266b5d9e4199c03eac8e91?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

9) After carrying out as many as 18,000 #COVID screening tests on a couple of days, Quebec is at risk of once again falling below its daily target of 14,000 samples. On Monday, Quebec performed 10,771 tests, the lowest of the past seven Mondays. This must be addressed.

10) In a sign of perhaps things to come, a source confirmed that at Vanier College — where career-program students were back at school this week — a person tested positive for #COVID19. The college is acting quickly to contact all students and staff. End of thread and stay safe.