Despite the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in Montreal, the Regional Directorate of Public Health (DRSP) has noted a certain slowdown over the past three weeks.

This summer, more than a third of our cases were related to travel imports. “Right now, we’re really more into a continuous community transmission,” Dr. Mylene Drouin, director of public health for the Montreal region, said Wednesday, as she assessed the situation.

DRSP also believes that Montreal has truly entered the fourth wave. Currently, it has an average of 250 new cases per day, of which approximately 80% are related to the delta variant.

“Autumn is coming. I think we have to keep these habits in place. They can have an impact on our control of transmission. The capacity of the Health Network is fragile at the moment,” Dr. Drouin added.

On average, the island has a positivity rate of 4%. However, some neighborhoods have higher rates, particularly in the northeast of the capital.

“There is a direct relationship between these areas and lower vaccine coverage in the population,” Darwin noted.

According to public health data, people who are not immunized are four times more likely to contract infection upon contact with a case, and 30 times more likely to be hospitalized.

“The benefits have been fairly demonstrated in Quebec, but even with two doses, there is still a risk of infection; we are not immune and must apply measures,” Ms.

DRSP has also returned to vaccination among health workers. Currently, in Montreal, 87% of people have been “appropriately” vaccinated, and 92% have received at least one dose.