'Montreal is in an excellent position,' says public health director during summer's last COVID-19 news conference
Montreal public health officials held what they hope to be their last news conference of the summer Tuesday, saying the COVID-19 situation looks positive in the city.
The news conference was held shortly after Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced the entire province is slated to move into the green zone by Monday.
“Montreal is in an excellent position, and all of our indicators continue to improve,” said Montreal public health director Mylene Drouin. “There will be new easing of measures, so of course we'll be able to take advantage, to see our friends and loved ones, to take up activities that we had left aside, and take advantage of the summer.”
Montreal counted 324 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, an average of 46 per day.
Drouin owed the decrease in new cases to a number of factors, including the summer weather, when the virus is less likely to spread, as well as the success of the vaccination campaign.
“It’s very encouraging and I really want to thank the population for answering the call. Coverage for the general population is 68 per cent. If we look at just 12 and upwards, 78 per cent. A coverage with two doses is at 18 per cent,” she said.
Despite the positive news, the public health director continued to stress the importance of vaccinations – particularly for younger Montrealers. Fifty-five per cent of children 12 to 17 have received a first dose of the vaccine, as have 71 per cent of those 18 to 29.
“So, that's approximately 80,000 people that we must reach as quickly as possible in order to have coverage of 75 per cent in all our age groups,” said Drouin.
TARGETED APPROACH
While mass vaccination sites will remain open, the city is also looking at targeted approaches in neighbourhoods, including a travelling ‘vaxivan,’ and vaccinations in parks and at sporting events.
“We really want to reach most of our population,” said Sonia Belanger, CEO of the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montreal. “There’s no reason for us not to reach our 75 per cent and more for the 12 to 35-year-olds. There’s really no reason not to reach that.”
DELTA VARIANT
Officials also said they continue to have concerns about the Delta variant.
“The Delta variant, as we know, is twice as transmissible as the U.K. variant. The rates of hospitalizations are twice as high, than with the U.K. variant. And we saw this in several countries, despite high rates of vaccination. We see that there are some significant increases including with our neighbours in Ontario,” said Drouin.
Montreal has counted 21 presumptive cases of the Delta variant since the end of April, and currently has six presumptive cases.
“In place with all the labs, we've put in place on modalities to be able to detect it very quickly,” said Drouin.
DROUIN'S CONTRACT RENEWED
Belanger took the opportunity of the summer’s last news conference to announce that Mylene Drouin’s mandate has been renewed, meaning she will continue in her role as the city’s public health director until 2025.
“This nomination should please all Montrealers. And I think that you were very present during this pandemic, and we are fortunate to have had you,” she said.
Drouin said it was a “pleasure,” adding that she was thankful for the vote of confidence.
“It's a pleasure for me to continue to serve Montrealers and to work to keeping Montrealers healthy and protecting them against threats, but to continue to find against social inequalities in health,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.