Nurses’ group surprised Ford asked for military aid to fight coronavirus in seniors homes
Posted April 23, 2020 5:44 am.
Last Updated April 23, 2020 5:48 am.
The head of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario says she finds it surprising that the premier decided to enlist military aid in long-term care homes.
Chief Executive Officer Doris Grinspun says she expected Doug Ford to call on local health-care professionals for help.
She says her association had been talking to the government about providing additional staffing support and those workers would be better suited to care for seniors than the military teams.
As of Wednesday, there have been at least 448 deaths in long-term care amid outbreaks at 127 facilities – 49 more deaths since the previous day. Long-term care homes have seen 1985 cases in residents, 957 cases in staff.
Provincewide, Ontario reported 510 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 37 more deaths. That data is taken from a different system than the specific long-term care data and the two are often out of sync.
The new cases bring the provincial total to 12,245 _ a 4.3 per cent increase over Tuesday, which is the lowest growth rate in weeks.
The total also includes 659 deaths and 6,221 cases that have been resolved, which puts the proportion of those cases over 50 per cent for the first time.
While health officials have said community spread appears to be peaking, cases in long-term care continue to rise.
