Police are investigating the owners of a Montreal-area nursing home after news that 31 patients died at the facility since mid-March, at least five of them after contracting COVID-19.
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Police are investigating the owners of a privately run Montreal-area nursing home after news that 31 patients died at the facility since mid-March.
At least five of the deceased residents had contracted COVID-19, Quebec Premier François Legault revealed on Saturday.
He promised a thorough public investigation into Résidence Herron in Dorval, where nurses spoke out on Saturday about conditions inside the home.
They said residents were left in unsanitary conditions, many unfed and without water for more than 24 hours, because staff were failing to show up.
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“It’s going to be a long-term investigation” with a review of camera footage, said Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
WATCH | Mother’s health ‘deteriorated so fast’ before she died at Quebec care home:
Barbara Schneider says she’s grateful a nurse was with her mother in her final hours at Herron care home. The care home is under investigation after 31 residents have died, at least five of them from COVID-19. 3:44
The news came at a time when care homes have been in the spotlight because of troubling reports in both Quebec and Ontario about elderly residents contracting COVID-19 in long-term care homes.
These outbreaks are a “sad shame, occurring in homes with the “most vulnerable individuals in our society” who need expert care, said Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health and University Health Network in Toronto.
COVID-19 can get into long-term care homes and spread partly because of staff who can’t always get a full-time position and have to work at more than one facility, he told CBC News on Sunday.
It’s asking a lot of these workers to be at risk for COVID-19 themselves, he said.
“When you’re working for minimum wage, when you don’t have sick benefits, to a certain extent you can appreciate why some workers didn’t want to put themselves in the line of fire.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in an emotional speech in the House of Commons on Saturday, noted that the crisis is most devastating for the elderly. He said the last members of the “greatest generation” who lived through the Great Depression and the Second World War are now most at risk of dying from COVID-19.
Parliament passed the federal government’s wage subsidy legislation Saturday night after an emergency sitting. The bill is aimed at providing financial support for companies reporting big losses in revenue caused by the pandemic. Businesses and charities that qualify will be given money to pay employees up to 75 per cent of their salary.
As of Sunday morning, more than 23,300 Canadians had tested positive for COVID-19. The total death count is now over 700.
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With outbreaks in dozens of facilities, Ontario’s long-term care homes are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 pandemic deaths, which account for close to half the coronavirus-related fatalities in the province.
Workers at a residence for people with disabilities in Markham, Ont., walked out on Thursday when they were told of an outbreak there.
Laura Meffen said she removed her daughter Emily Kerr from the care home after learning last Tuesday of a “possible outbreak,” which was later confirmed.
Participation House saw many of its employees abandoned their posts after they were informed about the outbreak.
WATCH | Woman who pulled daughter from Markham home for adults with disabilities worried daughter may have COVID-19:
Laura Meffen says staff at the adult facility are severely underequipped and understaffed to deal with the outbreak. She says she suspects her daughter contracted COVID-19 before leaving the facility earlier this week. 3:06
Confirmed infections have reached about 1.7 million worldwide, including more than 100,000 deaths, while the number of cases surpassed half a million in the U.S., according to a Johns Hopkins University count.
The spread of the novel coronavirus, first reported in China in late 2019, continues as Christians around the globe mark Easter Sunday, with church leaders offering services online amid restrictions on gathering in pews.
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Health officials have projected that 11,000 Canadians would die over the course of the pandemic if 2.5 per cent of the population was infected, a number that might be as high as 22,000 if the infection rate hit five per cent of the population. All the projections are “highly sensitive” to behaviours, said Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, as health officials outlined models with strict measures as well as offering a glimpse into what might have happened without controls.
WATCH | Documents reveal Canada’s slow initial reaction to outbreak:
Briefing notes prepared for federal ministers show just how quickly the COVID-19 situation evolved in Canada. 1:55
Public health officials have urged people to stay home, avoid large gatherings and keep up physical distancing, handwashing and other measures.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, which has been posting updated information about the virus, says that COVID-19 is a “serious health threat.” The agency says that risk varies between communities but notes that the overall risk to Canadians is ” considered high.”
Read on for a look at what’s happening in Canada and around the world.
Here’s what’s happening in the provinces and territories
As of Sunday morning, Canada had 23,318 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19. The provinces and territories that provide data on recovered cases listed more than 6,600 as resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths, which is based on public health information and reporting, lists 702 COVID-19-related deaths in Canada, as well as two coronavirus-linked deaths of Canadians abroad.
British Columbia’s top doctor says the province is working closely with federal counterparts to deal with an outbreak at a federal prison in Mission, B.C. Dr. Bonnie Henry also announced 35 new cases and three deaths on Saturday, urging residents to stay home for the long weekend and avoid “unnecessary travel.” Read more about what’s happening in B.C.
WATCH | B.C. resort communities fear Easter visitors during pandemic:
A ‘state of emergency’ is declared at Participation House, a facility for adults with physical and developmental disabilities, after a COVID-19 outbreak. 2:00
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the province would be sending equipment to other provinces battling COVID-19. Kenney said Alberta had an excess of equipment thanks to planning that began early in the pandemic.
Ontario will receive 250,000 N95 masks, five million procedural masks, 15 million gloves, 87,000 goggles and 50 ventilators; Quebec will receive 250,000 N95 masks, two million procedural masks and 15 million gloves; while British Columbia is set to receive 250,000 N95 masks. Read more about what’s happening in Alberta.
Saskatchewan has recorded its fourth death. A press release from the province said the person who died is a Saskatchewan resident in their 60s and died from COVID-19 related complications. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.
In Manitoba, a Winnipeg medical team has designed a new mask for health-care workers that could help replace the N95 masks — but the province still needs to find someone to make them. Manitoba is seeking submissions from local manufacturers that would be able to start making the new masks as soon as possible. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba.
The Ontario government on Saturday said it has extended until April 23 all emergency orders in place under a section of the province’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, declared on March 17, to help slow the spread of infection.
That means the continued closure of amenities in parks and recreational areas, non-essential workplaces, public places and bars and restaurants, along with restrictions on social gatherings and the prohibition of price-gouging. Read more about what’s happening in Ontario.
Quebec Premier François Legault says health officials in the province