Faced with the outbreaks of COVID-19 which are increasing in long-term care centers (CHSLDs), the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, ensures that teams are on the ground to monitor the situation in order to avoid to relive the dramatic episodes of the first wave.
As of January 4, Quebec reported more than 1,500 active cases and 39 deaths in CHSLDs. Among the 400 or so residential centers, around 30 were considered to be in the red or orange zone, that is, living environments with more than 15% of their residents declared positive.
Asked Thursday at a press conference on the situation in CHSLDs, Minister Dubé said that watch teams were deployed in the most affected establishments.
“Even if the local representative tells us that everything is fine, we send people to make sure that what we hear from a private or public manager is reality, and we adjust the services we can provide. It’s not easy, but we make sure that the information we receive is truthful and timely, ”he explained.
According to him, the triple vaccination against COVID-19 in most residents, personal protective equipment and the infection control system make it possible to limit the impact of the disease.
And also unlike the first months of the pandemic during which the CHSLDs experienced a significant wave of deaths, each establishment now has a local representative, which makes it possible to have a daily inventory, he added.
Earlier this week, Quebec also tightened measures regarding access to CHSLDs, intermediate resources and private residences for seniors due to the resurgence of cases. Only informal caregivers are now admitted.
While nearly 20,000 workers are absent from the health network due to COVID-19, Mr. Dubé could not specify to what extent the CHSLDs are affected by a lack of personnel.
“As soon as we get feedback from staff, it is certain that the priority is for CHSLDs to be able to ensure that people continue to have the quality of services they should expect, especially in those where we had slightly larger outbreaks, ”said the Minister.