1) Breaking: The numbers are small but still worth reporting: the Eastern Townships and Lanaudière confirmed for the first time on Wednesday a single case each of the P.1 variant that first arose in Brazil. The total number of P.1 variant cases inched up by six to 14 in Quebec.

2) The P.1 variant has been found in five Quebec regions to date. To put those numbers in perspective, British Columbia has reported 2,062 P.1 cases to date, apparently the highest tally outside of Brazil. Ontario, for its, part has sequenced 212 P.1 cases and Alberta 182.

3) The predominant variant in Quebec by far is B.1.1.7, first detected in the U.K. late last year. The number of B.1.1.7 cases in Quebec jumped by 688 to 3,242. That more transmissible variant has been found in 11 regions across the province. Please see the chart below.

4) As for the so-called South African variant, B.1.351, the number rose by three to 166. Two more cases were confirmed in Montreal and one more case in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. In total, this variant has been found in eight regions across Quebec.

5) Meanwhile, Quebec’s public health institute added two more cases of the B.1.525 variant that was originally discovered in Nigeria and that has been circulating in New York City. This strain has been found in four regions. Montreal and Laval each declared a single new case.

6) Health Minister Christian Dubé announced last week that labs would reduce by 50% screening of #COVID19 samples for variants in Outaouais, Chaudière-Appalaches, Laval, Laurentides et Lanaudière. Would not doing this deprive us of a clearer picture of the variants?

7) The rationale behind this decision is that it’s presumed that the variants in those regions are already predominant, so it makes better more sense to devote more resources to #COVID19 testing and genetic sequencing to determine the type of variants.

8) I ran this explanation by a top infectious diseases expert who said he had no problem with Quebec’s decision to reduce screening in those regions. However, Quebec is far behind other provinces in the sequencing of variants to determine their genetic lineage. See below.

9) If there’s anything reassuring about Wednesday’s numbers, it’s that both P.1 and B.1.351 variant cases have not shot up. P.1 has caused massive deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil, while B.1.351 has been shown to be resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

10) And so the race between the vaccines and the variants continues in Quebec. On Tuesday, 54,410 doses were administered, with 29.1% of the province’s population partially inoculated. In Montreal, the percentage is 32.67. End of thread. Please get vaccinated ASAP if you can.

Addendum: Quebec's public health institute didn't include in its report Wednesday the following breaking news: confirmation of the B.1.617 variant first sequenced in India. See the story below by my fellow @mtlgzette colleague @ReneBruemmer. https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/quebec-confirms-first-case-of-b-1617-variant-in-the-haute-mauricie-region