Vaccines have rescued of
Ontario’s nursing homes from the ravages of
COVID-19 for now but residents remain vulnerable to future pandemics and outbreaks because of poor infection prevention, crowding, inadequate staffing and inspections.
That’s the bottom line in a new report from auditor general Bonnie Lysyk which contains “no surprises,” she acknowledged Wednesday.
Lysyk pointed to repeated warnings from her office and advocates for the elderly that successive provincial governments have let vulnerable residents down by leaving the long-term sector “ill-equipped” for emergencies.
“With the arrival of vaccines, the number of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths have been significantly reduced in the long-term care homes, but the long-standing systemic issues that place residents at risk remain to be addressed,” Lysyk wrote.