1) On Thursday, Public Health Ontario released a major study revealing that out of 1,880 positive #COVID19 samples collected on just one day, Jan. 20, 5.5% were confirmed to be the super contagious B117 variant. In this thread, I will examine what Quebec is doing in this regard.

2) Before answering that question, note that in mid-January, Denmark — with a population of 5.8 million — decided to test 𝙖𝙡𝙡 positive #COVID19 swabs for the B117 variant. Preliminary results show the variant is “driving a big third wave" there, according to 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

3) Modelling by the Centers for Disease Control project that the B117 variant — which led to massive ICU over-capacity in the U.K. last month and a surge in the #COVID19 death rate — will become the predominant strain in the United States by next month.

4) Last Friday, Quebec announced $11.1 million in funding to 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏 surveillance of more contagious variants. Until that announcement, health officer Horacio Arruda noted that 5% of samples were tested for variants, but he didn't clarify whether this was for all specimens.

5) It’s against this background of a relatively slow start to surveillance of #COVID19 variants in Quebec that Montreal on Thursday posted an uptick in cases, 532. By this time next week, the metropolis will likely cross the cumulative 100,000 mark in cases. Please see below.

6) At the neighborhood level, the #COVID19 hot spot of Montreal North reported the greatest number of new cases, 79. It’s worth noting, though, that on the day Quebec launched its nightly curfew on Jan. 9, Montreal North reported more than double that daily total.

7) The number of #COVID19 hospitalizations in Montreal dropped by seven to 517 on Thursday. Only three of the city’s 17 hospitals — Sacré-Coeur, Santa Cabrini and Ste-Justine — observed increases in admissions, with those at Sacré-Coeur rising the most, by four to 50.

8) But emergency room overcrowding has again returned to Montreal during the evenings despite the curfew, as the chart below makes clear. This does not augur well should the more transmissible variants start circulating in the city.

9) Meanwhile, the #coronavirus continues to circulate widely in schools, with the Health Ministry recording 21 more outbreaks in this sector for a total of 234. The province reported 56 more active cases, but a drop in shuttered classes. See the chart below.

10) Two days after administering only 354 #COVID19 vaccines, authorities gave another 2,300 shots in Quebec Thursday, still a low number for which Ottawa must take responsibility. And the death toll in the province rose by 42 to 9,941. End of thread. Limit your social contacts.