Residents in Canada’s nursing homes didn’t receive enough medical care during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, faring far worse than those in other wealthy nations, a new study has found, writes Leyland Cecco in Toronto.
The report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that long term care home deaths account for 69% of fatalities in Canada from Covid-19 — far higher than the international average of 41 per cent.
“Covid-19 has exacted a heavy price on Canada’s long-term care and retirement homes, resulting in a disproportionate number of outbreaks and deaths,” said the report.
Over 14,700 residents died in long-term care and retirement homes across Canada between 1 March, 2020, and 15 February, the report says. Thirty staff members also died during this period.
The report, which focused largely on the first wave of the virus, found that in a bid to prevent overcrowding of hospitals early on in the pandemic — a fear prompted…