The report says eight weeks after vaccinations began in December, COVID-19 infections were reduced by 89 per cent among long-term care residents and by 79 per cent in workers
Ontario LTC COVID-19 Commission reveals their first batch of interviews
by James Mackin
Posted Feb 19, 2021 10:37 pm EDT
Ontario Minister of Long Term Care Merrilee Fullerton answers questions during the daily briefing at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Thursday May 28, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
The Ontario Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission says they will be interviewing several provincial government officials in the coming week.
NEW – The Long-Term Care Commission says it will interview Dr. David Williams on Monday, Health Minister Elliott on Wednesday and Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton on Friday. pic.twitter.com/ephXhMuQD2
On Monday, February 22nd, they will speak with Dr. David Williams, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. The following Wednesday, February 24th, they will speak with both Health Minister Christine Elliott, and Deputy Health Minister Helen Angus. And on Friday, February 26th, they’ll interview Long-Term Care Minister M
Study of Ontario COVID-19 cases reveals small but growing presence of British variant Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
A preliminary look at all cases of COVID-19 that were reported in Ontario during a single day last month has determined that 5.5 per cent of those cases examined so far were caused by the new U.K. variant of the coronavirus. Of those, 89 alone were connected to a large outbreak of the variant at the Roberta Place long-term care facility in Barrie.
CARLOS OSORIO/Reuters
A devastating outbreak linked to the British variant of COVID-19 at a long-term care home north of Toronto has now infected just more than 300 individuals, heightening fears of community spread.
Ninety “household members” – a broad group that includes family of people who live or work at Roberta Place in Barrie, Ont., as well as staff from local hospitals, paramedic services and other community agencies helping manage the outbreak –
have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of Health at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, in an interview on Wednesday.
All but one of the home’s 128 residents have been sickened with the virus, along with 86 staff members.
LTC staff need better pay, support to ensure safety of residents: experts
by Maleeha Sheikh and Jessica Bruno
Posted Jan 5, 2021 6:35 pm EDT
Last Updated Jan 5, 2021 at 11:38 pm EDT
As more than one-third of Ontario’s long-term care homes are reporting outbreaks, healthcare experts say the lack of basic employment supports for staff, like paid sick days and a living wage, are contributing to the spread of COVID-19.
“This is why we’ve seen such a huge challenge during this pandemic in Ontario, where so many of these workers … are bringing COVID-19 into the homes,” says Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics for Sinai Health System. “Frankly, a lot of folks don’t have a choice of taking a day off, but they really don’t have great sick benefits to begin with.”