After announcing yesterday the postponement of deconfinement in the greater metropolitan area, Quebec announces the most recent developments in terms of screening for COVID-19 in Greater Montreal. To replace Prime Minister François Legault, it is the national director of public health, Horacio Arruda, who runs this press briefing. The Minister responsible for the Metropolis, Chantal Rouleau, is present with him, along with the regional director of public health, Mylène Drouin, and the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante.
As of today there have been 94 more deaths bringing the total to 2,725 deaths from COVID-19. There are 912 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the total to 36,150.
Quebec announced it is launching what it says is a "massive" new COVID-19 screening strategy in the Montreal area. Horacio Arruda, the national director of public health, announced the expanded screening in Montreal North, the city borough that has become a hotspot in recent weeks.
We learned at the beginning of the week that Montreal would turn six mobile clinics, in the form of STM buses, in order to speed up and increase screening for COVID-19 in the city's hot spots, such as Montreal- North.
We are currently conducting 10,000 tests per day, While we still are aiming for the objective of 14,000 tests per day. Dr. Arruda has called on the public to be tested in the event of symptoms such as fever, coughing, respiratory difficulty, loss of smell and loss of taste, in order to improve knowledge of the state of the spread in Quebec, and in Montreal in particular. He invites those concerned to contact 1-877-644-4545.