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A Montreal long-term care facility moved 20 residents to local hospitals on Sunday after a COVID-19 outbreak raised concern among officials and families.
The Vice President and CEO of CIUSSS du Center-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, France Dupuis, indicated that 18 residents of the Maimonides Geriatric Center had been sent to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital.
Two other residents were transferred to the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, while 10 residents remained in their rooms at the facility after being checked by a doctor.
“What we want is the safety of our residents, which is why we have made this decision,” Ms. Dupuis explained in an interview.
The transfers came a day after the health agency announced plans to close a hot area at the facility that had 30 residents with COVID-10 to try to stem the spread of the virus.
Ms. Dupuis says the outbreak erupted after an asymptomatic caregiver entered the facility and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.
“Once there is only one person, it is like a fire; it goes very fast. People get infected very quickly, “he points out.
The situation has raised concerns among relatives and families of the residents, who organized a protest outside the facility on Thursday to ask for more support.
As of November 28, ten residents have died in Maimonides during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said Thursday he had requested a report on the situation and the need for additional staff.
Long-term care homes in Quebec were hit hard during the first wave of the pandemic last spring. Many facilities were understaffed and in some cases staff moved from center to center, facilitating the spread of the virus.
Ms. Dupuis indicated that CIUSSS now intends to make it mandatory for caregivers to test negative for COVID-19 before entering long-term care facilities.
“The government now also allows us to make it mandatory for staff, which it wasn’t before,” he said, adding that gaps are still unavoidable.
“But at least we’ll be tougher in our control system.”
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