Ministry updated daily on ‘tragic’ situation at Royal Rose
Two more deaths reported at Welland long-term-care home
The Ministry of Long-Term Care says it has been in daily contact with a Welland longterm-care home where 20 residents have now lost their lives to a COVID-19 outbreak.
“What has occurred at Royal Rose Place is tragic,” said Gillian Sloggett, press secretary and senior communications adviser for Long-Term Care Minister Dr. Merrilee Fullerton.
Since the outbreak began March 31, 71 residents within the 96-bed home have been infected with the virus, as well as 48 staff members.
As of Tuesday, Sloggett said “all but one of the staff cases have been resolved and only one resident is positive.”
“Just a single area in the home remains on droplet protection. Royal Rose Place has outbreak management strategies in place and does not report a shortage of personal protective equipment,” she said in an email.
On Wednesday the home reported two deaths among residents, bringing the total to 20. The home also reported five residents being cared for in hospital.
Carole Sardella, who said her 83-year-old mother Andree Demers has resided there for about two years, is concerned.
Although she said her mother has remained healthy, despite numerous deaths of residents who live on the same floor in the building, Sardella fears that may change under current management.
“Obviously there’s a problem at Royal Rose,” she said while pointing to other homes that have managed to keep the virus from infecting their residents.
Sardella, a registered nurse, called it negligent to downplay the severity of the outbreak at the long-term-care home, when one-third of the total deaths from the virus in the region were among residents there.
“I’m just appalled,” she said. She fears for her mother and other surviving residents if a second wave of the virus hits.
Sloggett said the ministry is continuing to monitor conditions at Royal Rose daily, while Ministry of Long-Term Care inspectors and a designated ministry point person have been in regular contact with the home.
“Our government’s focus is on fighting this virus and keeping residents and staff in all longterm-care homes safe. As part of our efforts, we are working around the clock with ministry officials, the chief medical officer of health and the local public health units to assist longterm-care homes during this crisis and fortify an iron ring of protection around our most vulnerable and front-line heroes.”
While Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath renewed calls for a full independent judicial inquiry into long-term-care homes — she focused attention on the issues during an online media conference Tuesday with the granddaughter of a Royal Rose resident who died of COVID-19 — Sloggett warned a public inquiry would take too long. “People are waiting, our wait lists are growing, and lives depend on us getting the answers as soon as possible,” she said. “We owe it to the families of those in long-term-care homes to provide a safe environment for their loved ones today and into the future.”
She said the government’s planned independent commission to determine the impact of COVID-19 on long-term-care homes is “the responsible step to take for our province.”
“We know public inquiries can take years to complete, and our government is not prepared to wait years to determine the most pressing issues facing our long-term-care homes,” she said.
Horwath has called for the release of the provincial government’s “red list” of high-risk long-term-care homes, but Sloggett said that information must remain confidential because inspections of those homes are unannounced.