The 4th wave in Montreal: "Even the double-vaccinated may get sick"

Montreal public health director Dr. Mylène Drouin held her first press conference since June this afternoon to provide an update on the state of the pandemic in the city.

The fourth wave of COVID-19 has definitively arrived in Montreal, where the Delta variant makes up more than half of new cases. At the moment, Drouin reported, Montreal is dealing with 46 outbreaks — 11 of which originated at dance events, both indoor and outdoor, infecting both dancers and spectators — and an average of 170 new cases per day.

There is a 3.3% positivity rate in the city, with rates over over 5% in certain neighbourhoods, namely St-Michel, Parc Extension, Bordeaux-Cartierville and Rivière des Prairies. Most new cases are among people in the 18–34 age group but there has also been a marked increase in the 5–17 age group, which is particularly worrying ahead of the return to school.

Given that the majority of serious cases are among the unvaccinated, Drouin appealed to those who still haven’t done so (and are eligible, ie. over the age of 12) to make an appointment or go to a walk-in clinic ASAP. She also cautioned those who are vaccinated to continue practising the usual safety measures (masks, hand-washing, distancing etc), and to get tested as soon as even minor symptoms appear.

“Vaccines will protect most people from serious illness, but they are not foolproof. Even the double-vaccinated may get sick.”

For more on the COVID-19 situation in Montreal, please visit the Santé Montréal website.

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