COVID-19 live updates: Montreal ‘avoided third wave’ but not ready to move to orange zone, Drouin says

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Updated throughout the day on Wednesday, May 26. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

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2:50 p.m.

Drouin urges people to get tested as Montreal sees drop in cases

Following up on my ealier live coverage, here’s our full story, by Jesse Feith, on today’s press conference by Dr. Mylène Drouin, head of public health for Montreal Island.

2:30 p.m.

Canada now among top 5 countries in administering first vaccine doses

From The Canadian Press:

More than half of all people in Canada have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as the country edges closer to lifting anti-pandemic restrictions, health authorities reported on Wednesday.

In all, 20 million people have had a shot, close to two-thirds of those aged 12 and older. Children under 12 won’t become eligible to be vaccinated for several more months.

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Canada is now among the top five countries in the world for the percentage of the population with at least one dose — ahead of the U.S., according to the website ourworldindata.org. However, it lags well behind the U.S. and other countries when it comes to the number of fully vaccinated people.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam wants to see three-quarters of the population fully vaccinated before most restrictions are lifted.

Provinces have already begun easing restrictions, with some announcing various reopening plans that depend on higher vaccination rates and falling case counts.

2:30 p.m.

Montreal ‘avoided third wave’ but not ready to move to orange zone, Drouin says

Montreal has “avoided the third wave,” Dr. Mylène Drouin, director of public health for the island, told reporters this afternoon.

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“Prudence has paid off” but the pandemic is not over, she added.

Over the past week, Montreal has reported an average of about 215-220 cases daily, she said, adding that case counts have “fallen drastically” in recent days, though that may be because of reduced testing over the long weekend.

Montreal today reported fewer than 100 cases for the first time since September.

Drouin noted that last week, the positivity rate was three per cent. In recent days, it has only edged downward to about 2.7 per cent, Drouin said.

If the same number of people were getting tested this week, Montreal would probably be reporting roughly 180 or 190 cases daily, she noted.

“We’ll see if the downward trend (in cases) continues in the coming days,” Drouin said.

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Cases are still high in Park Extension, Bordeaux-Cartierville, St. Laurent and Snowdon, she added.

Drouin said nine out of 16 recent community outbreaks were related to contacts within parks.

“Even though the risk is lower outside, do not share glasses or food or material that can contribute to the transmission of COVID,” she said.

With outbreaks happening outdoors, Drouin was asked if she is worried about the lifting of restrictions on Friday that will allow restaurant terrasses to reopen and up to eight people to gather in private outdoor spaces such as backyards?

“For terrasses, no, I’m not that worried” because restaurants must follow public health rules, she answered.

As for gatherings in backyards, on balconies and other private spaces, “we have to make sure that people don’t go into houses” and continue the party or the supper inside where there is a higher risk, she added.

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Drouin thanked Montrealers for their efforts – and urged them to be patient.

“We all would have liked to reopen very quickly and move into the orange zone,” Drouin said. “We still have a little time ahead of us but we’re going in the right direction.”

On Tuesday, Premier François Legault said most regions of the province will move to the less restrictive orange zone on Monday, May 31. But he’s keeping Montreal in the red zone until at least June 7.

Restaurant dining rooms and gyms can reopen in orange zones.

Eighty per cent of Montreal health care workers have received their first vaccine dose, Sonia Bélanger, head of the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal regional health authority, told reporters.

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1:20 p.m.

Charts: Update on hospitalizations and vaccinations in Montreal

These were published this afternoon by Montreal’s public health department.

12:15 p.m.

Global airlines impatient to see Canada lift air travel restrictions: IATA chief

Global airlines are itching to see Canada end the U.S. border closure for all non-essential travel sooner rather than later.

Read our full story, by Frédéric Tomesco.

12:10 p.m.

Taxpayer-funded surveys: Liberals, QS seek investigation of CAQ government spending

Since coming to power, Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government has constantly surveyed the mood of Quebecers, so much so that spending on polls has increased by 5,000 per cent, La Presse Canadienne reports.

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That was the calculation made by the opposition Liberals on Wednesday, with Leader Dominique Anglade calling for the investigation by the province’s auditor general.

Anglade was reacting to a Journal de Québec report that revealed that the Legault government has spent more than $1 million in public money to take the pulse of citizens.

That’s an “astronomical” amount, according to Anglade, noting the previous Liberal government only spent $13,000 for a single poll in four years.

“It’s not complicated – a 5,000-per-cent increase in government spending on polls, not 100 per cent, not 200 per cent, but 5,000 per cent!”

The Liberals are following in the footsteps of Québec solidaire and asking the auditor general to look into the use of public funds used for polling.

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Opposition parties are also urging the government to make public the issues that have ended up in the polls.

“What we are asking the government to do is to make the questionnaires public,” Anglade said. “At least let us know how this money was used.”

On Tuesday, Legault maintained that the surveys he ordered were mainly used to gauge the level of support of citizens for health instructions.

However, the polls also contained questions about the French language and negotiations with the public sector, the Journal reported.

For example, a survey by the firm SOM carried out in mid-May asked respondents if they believed that “after a year, the negotiations have gone on long enough”.

“The CAQ is in the process of … calculating how many votes they will win if they use the baton of a special law to force a return to work,” said QS House Leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

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Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the Legault government “would benefit from being more transparent and telling us openly how our public funds are spent.”

A Léger survey published today found that 82 per cent of Quebecers surveyed were satisfied with the COVID-19 measures put in place by the Legault government. That’s the highest satisfaction level in Canada.

11:35 a.m.

Update on Quebec’s vaccination campaign

11:15 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports fewer than 400 cases for second day in a row

Quebec has recorded 308 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

It’s the second consecutive day with fewer than 400 cases – and the fourth at under 500.

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Montreal Island registered 96 cases. It’s the first time since mid-September that it has reported fewer than 100 infections.

Hospitalizations are at their lowest point since October.

Today’s update includes four new deaths, none of which occurred over the previous 24 hours.

Three of the deaths occurred between May 19 and 24, one occurred before May 19, and another occurred on an unknown date.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 368,463 cases and 11,105 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 352,230 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

10:50 a.m.

20M Canadians have received their first vaccine dose

Canada’s vaccine milestones continue today, with the country surpassing 20 million people getting at least their first dose, The Canadian Press reports.

A total of 20.05 million people have been vaccinated.

That is about 63 per cent of eligible Canadians over the age of 12, and almost 53 per cent of everyone, including children under the age of 12 who won’t become eligible to be vaccinated for several more months.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has set a marker of 75 per cent of eligible people getting one dose, and 20 per cent with both doses, as a safe place to start lifting many restrictions on outdoor activities – and 75 per cent of everyone fully vaccinated to lift most restrictions overall.

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10:30 a.m.

Canada extends testing and quarantine rules for international travels until June 21

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9:45 a.m.

Quebecers are the least anxious about return to ‘normal’ after COVID-19, national survey suggests

Quebecers are the most likely to say they are not anxious about a return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic, a new national poll suggests.

Fifty-four per cent of the Quebecers surveyed said they are “not really” experiencing any anxiety or are experiencing “absolutely no anxiety at all” about the post-pandemic period.

People in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia are in second place, with 48 per cent saying they are not worried.

Across Canada, more than half of respondents said they feel somewhat anxious about going back to the way life was before it was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read our story about the national results.

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The full poll results are available on Léger’s website.

9:45 a.m.

Federal auditor to report on Canada’s PPE purchases today

From The Canadian Press:

Canada’s “Wild West” efforts to buy medical supplies for provincial governments in the midst of a global pandemic will be assessed by the federal auditor general today.

The federal government spent more than $7 billion last year to buy everything from personal protective equipment, to hand sanitizer and rapid tests.

In the early days of COVID-19 in Canada last spring, global demand for PPE and medical equipment was so high Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland likened it to the “Wild West” of procurement.

Auditor General Karen Hogan is auditing the purchases of four specific items — N95 masks, medical gowns, testing swabs and ventilators, which federal documents suggest account for about one-quarter of the dollars spent.

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Public Services and Procurement Canada says as of April 26, it had secured delivery of 131 million surgical gowns, 121 million N95 respirators, and 27,388 ventilators.

A second audit report expected today looks at the federal government’s pandemic support to Indigenous communities including PPE, nurses and paramedics.

9:40 a.m.

Federal officials provide update on COVID-19 in Indigenous communities

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9:30 a.m.

Quebec hospitals ordered to cut $150M from budgets, sources say

Quebec’s Treasury Board has ordered health authorities and hospitals across the province to chop a total of about $150 million from their budgets despite the fact the pandemic is far from over, sources have told the Montreal Gazette.

The provincial government’s expectation is that as telemedicine has advanced out of necessity during the COVID-19 crisis, the health-care system will ultimately save on certain expenses. But sources say Quebec has been unwilling to make the necessary investments in computer infrastructure to prevent ransomware attacks in hospitals.

Read our full story, by Aaron Derfel.

9:30 a.m.

Quebec nurses’ union considering strike mandate

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé, which represents 76,000 nurses, assistant nurses, respiratory therapists and other health professionals, will soon hold general assemblies to poll its members on a strike mandate.

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FIQ president Nancy Bédard said that, contrary to what Premier François Legault has said, negotiations are stalled.

Read our full story.

9:30 a.m.

‘There’s no life downtown’: Toqué! unlikely to reopen before September, star chef says

Influential Montreal chef Normand Laprise is heartened by Quebec’s decision to allow restaurants in most of the province to reopen this month as COVID-19 infection numbers improve — but he warns his flagship eatery Toqué! is unlikely to start welcoming customers again before late summer.

Read our full story, by Frédéric Tomesco.

9:30 a.m.

Alleged anti-mask leader Mario Roy makes second attempt at bail

An alleged leader in the anti-mask movement will find out Wednesday if he can be released on bail while he is charged with harassing and intimidating two Montreal lawyers.

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Read our full story, by Paul Cherry.

9:15 a.m.

A guide to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Two private sites can also help you book appointments:

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9:15 a.m.

Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec

We are regularly updating our list of what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec, including information on the curfew and other lockdown measures.

You can read it here.

9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

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ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.