MONTREAL’S GRIM REALITY
City has emerged as the Canadian epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis
The island of Montreal has marked another milestone in its coronavirus outbreak. As of Thursday, it passed the threshold of 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
There are now more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the island of Montreal alone than in every Canadian province or territory except Ontario.
Mayor Valérie Plante said there was no way to predict Montreal would become the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada. The city’s density contributed to the virus’s spread, she said.
Montreal’s public health department reported that 10,375 people have COVID-19. As of Thursday, 741 people on the island had died of the disease.
The number of deaths here increased by 94 between Wednesday and Thursday, while the number of cases increased by 519 to 10,375.
“I’m always thinking about the fact that those numbers are actually real people — people who have died, people who are in hospital,” Plante said. “And of course all my thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have lost someone.”
More people have died of COVID -19 in Montreal than in any province or territory.
Across Quebec, there are now 21,838 cases and 1,243 deaths. That means Montreal has 48 per cent of the province’s cases and 60 per cent of the deaths.
Montreal’s infection rate is now at 502 per 100,000 people, almost double the provincial average of 257 per 100,000. The highest infection rates are in Côte-st-luc and Montreal North.
Côte-des-neiges—notre-damede-grâce is the borough on Montreal Island with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19, at 987.
There are 112 long-term care centres and seniors’ residences with at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. Here are some of the residences with the most confirmed cases on the island of Montreal, according to the province:
CHSLD Laurendeau, Ahuntsic-cartierville
■ (168)
Vigi Mont-royal, Town of Mount
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Royal (157)
Institut universitaire de gériatrie
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de Montréal, Côte-des-neiges (121)
Centre d’hébergement
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Yvon-brunet, Ville-émard (115)
Centre d’hébergement Lasalle
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(109)