QUEBEC – Coroner investigating COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes in Quebec said Monday she was troubled that authorities knew there were risks to nursing homes , but failed to protect them from the first wave of the pandemic.
Coroner Géhane Kamel reacted to the second day of testimony from Quebec director of public health, Dr. Horacio Arruda, who said his department was concerned about the impact of COVID-19 in long-term care centers duration from February 2020.
Kamel said her comments were “disturbing” as it was the first time she had heard authorities were aware of the risks to residents of long-term care homes so early in the pandemic. She said earlier testimony during the investigation indicated that authorities took less precautions to protect these facilities than they did to prepare hospitals.
She said she did not realize officials discussed the risks to long-term care homes until March 13, the day before the government declared a public health emergency.
“The hospital sector, in mid-March, was more than ready to receive people,” she said. “The equipment was available; the teams were mobilized. In long-term care, however, there was no preparation, she added. Nearly 4,000 people died in long-term care homes during the first months of the pandemic.
“From what we heard, there was no staff, no equipment, no preparation to deal with this,” Kamel said of long-term care homes in mid-March 2020.
Arruda said a planning guide was sent to long-term care homes on March 12, 2020, but added that Quebec is focusing on hospital readiness, based on the experience in Italy, where the hospitals had been overwhelmed.
Kamel said she was also concerned that the 40 private long-term care homes in Quebec – including Résidence Herron, where 47 residents died in the first wave – were not included in the public health plans. She said the lack of attention given to the long-term care sector raises questions about whether “we are letting people die”.
Arruda admitted the situation suggested long-term care was not properly organized in the province before the pandemic.
Patrick Martin-Ménard, a lawyer who represents family members of six people who died in long-term care facilities in Quebec, asked Arruda if these care homes were a “blind spot” in the planning for pandemic of the Ministry of Health.
“It depends on what you mean by ‘blind spot’,” Arruda replied. “We knew the risk was there.
The coroner’s inquest is examining the deaths of elderly and vulnerable people in residential settings during the COVID-19 pandemic to make recommendations to avoid future tragedies.
On Thursday, Arruda said he did not recall whether he had issued a formal recommendation against long-term care staff working at multiple facilities, a practice that has been linked to the spread of COVID-19.
On Monday, Arruda confirmed that he had not sent such a recommendation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 15, 2021.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of Facebook and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press
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