A report prepared by the Canadian military about Quebec’s long-term care homes says the division between “hot” and “cold” zones, proper use of protective equipment and staffing shortages remain major challenges in the facilities.
A report prepared by the Canadian military about Quebec’s long-term care homes says the division between “hot” and “cold” zones, proper use of protective equipment and staffing shortages remain major challenges in the facilities.
The report was shared with the Quebec government Tuesday night and made public this morning, on the heels of a separate, more damning report a day earlier about conditions in Ontario.
The Quebec report provides an account of the conditions in 25 homes where members of the military have been assisting during the pandemic.
In many cases, the military describes how equipment and staffing were inadequate when they arrived but have since improved.
At the Centre d’hébergement Saint-Laurent in Montreal, for example, the report notes some staff weren’t properly using protective equipment and were moving between “hot” zones, for those who have tested positive, and “cold” zones, which are supposed to be COVID-free.
The report said military personnel helped train staff to improve the situation.
Problems in Quebec’s long-term care homes, known by their French initials as CHSLDs, have already been well-documented.
More than 60 per cent of deaths related to COVID-19 in Quebec have occurred in CHSLDs. Nearly a third of the