At the start of the fourth wave, nearly 50% of COVID-19 cases reported in the metropolis are linked to the Delta variant.
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This is what the director of public health of Montreal, Dr. Mylène Drouin, mentioned in a press briefing on Wednesday.
Over the past week, Montreal has seen an average of 175 new infections daily, for a total of 1,106 cases in the past seven days. It is as many new cases as at the end of September last year, according to her.
“We have more cases [qu’en août 2020] and more community transmission, while we have not yet been able to appreciate the effect of the start of the school year and, obviously, with a variant which is much more contagious ”, said the Dre Drouin.
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Of the recent outbreaks, 11 have been linked to events involving dancing and involving spectators or dancers. “We would like to bring some vigilance,” she said, asking Montrealers to wear masks when they take part in this type of event.
The Saint-Michel, Parc-Extension, Bordeaux-Cartierville and Rivière-des-Prairies neighborhoods have positivity rates above 5%, which is 2% more than the average for the Island of Montreal.
Vaccination to the rescue
Despite the increase in the number of cases and the threat posed by the Delta variant, Dr. Drouin does not expect a disastrous fourth wave in hospitals, thanks to the vaccination.
“Vaccination is after all the main instrument that can allow us to reduce mortality and hospitalizations,” she recalled. She is delighted that no new deaths linked to the virus have yet been reported this week in the metropolis.
Even if vaccination is going well, the regional director of public health calls again for caution, while insisting that people who have been vaccinated twice can contract the virus and transmit it. She does not expect any further relaxations, even if the passport is due to enter into force in the coming days.
Nearly 1.3 million Montrealers have now received their two doses of the vaccine. The boroughs of Montréal-Nord, Saint-Léonard and Outremont have a vaccination rate below the target of 75% of the eligible population with two doses.
In recent months, Santé Montréal has tried various targeted approaches to convince more hesitant populations to get vaccinated. The Dre Drouin will also announce new campaigns to vaccinate more young people aged 12 to 17.
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