Some provincial authorities saw encouraging signs in the fight against COVID-19 on Monday, even as experts warned that it’s too soon to draw conclusions from the data and provinces scrambled to deal with a looming shortage of Pfizer vaccines. Officials in both Quebec and Manitoba noted that case numbers have dropped slightly in recent days and suggested that their populations’ efforts to control the virus could be paying off. Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said case numbers in his province appeared to be dipping. “We’re definitely not out of the woods,” he told a news conference as the province reported 118 cases. “We certainly still have a long way to go before we can return to normal.” Roussin said the province is looking at easing some restrictions in the coming days, but that any changes would be gradual. Quebec reported 1,634 new COVID-19 cases, which included about …