Infection rate still on rise at some care homes
Infection rates at several Montreal-area long-term care residences continue to remain high — and in some cases are rising even if the problems inside them were red-flagged weeks ago.
On Thursday, the CISSS de Laval, the regional health board that oversees the CHSLD Ste-dorothée, the residence hardest hit by the pandemic in Quebec, reported 88 patients have died there since mid-march.
An application for a class-action lawsuit filed last week against the facility and the CISSS says it was clear there was a serious problem by April 6, when 106 residents were reported to have tested positive.
Quebec’s Ministry of Health released new statistics for residences that are being monitored across the province, and it reported Thursday that 172 residents at the CHSLD Ste-dorothée — 89 per cent — have tested positive for COVID-19.
The same statistics reveal the infection rates remain high at other residences in the Montreal area.
On Thursday, Premier François Legault addressed how the elderly make up a high percentage of the overall Covid-19-related deaths in the province.
“It’s not as if where a person dies is more or less important, but — for the goal of following the situation — out of the 98 deaths we had on (Wednesday), 92 were in long-term residences for elderly.”
The premier then noted that more than 4,400 people currently living in 280 residences being monitored across the province have tested positive for COVID-19.
“We will do everything to save the maximum, but we have to be realistic — there will continue to be deaths (among the elderly) in the coming days and weeks. We can foresee more deaths.”
The Ministry of Health says the second highest rate of infection is at the privately owned Residence Notre-dame de la Victoire in St-hubert, where 48 residents — 96 per cent — are reported to have tested positive versus 44 residents (88 per cent) on April 20.
The local health authority took control of Residence Notre-dame de la Victoire almost two weeks ago.
The third highest infection rate is at the Residence Gingras, a small privately owned facility in Laval where 19 residents — 90 per cent — have tested positive. On April 17, the reported infection rate was 44 per cent.
That residence, too, is overseen by the CISSS de Laval, as is the government-run CHSLD Fernand-larocque, with the fourth highest infection rate in the Montreal-area. The reported infection rate there on April 26 was 86 per cent (70 residents), up from 84 per cent a week earlier.
The CISSS de Laval reported Thursday 22 people have died at CHSLD Fernand-larocque since the pandemic hit Quebec.
The second highest number of fatalities attributed to the virus at Laval residences is at the Centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée La Pinière, where 37 people have died. As of Thursday, it reported having a 64 per cent infection rate.
The two residences in Montreal with the highest reported infection rates are the Centre d’hebergement Yvon Brunet in Ville Émard and the Centre d’hebergement St. Andrews in Montreal. Both reported having an 81-percent infection rate this week. Last week, the same CHSLDS reported 71- and 73-per-cent infection rates, respectively.