More masking imposed in Quebec seniors homes as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations rise
Mask-wearing will be mandatory in common areas of private seniors residences in several parts of Quebec starting next week, the Health Department said Friday, amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in those facilities.
Seniors Minister Marguerite Blais said Friday on Twitter "a rise in COVID is leading us to be extra careful," regarding the decision to impose more masking. The new order will affect residences in regions such as Montreal and its northern suburb Laval, Estrie and Outaouais.
Health officials said there were 67 active cases of COVID-19 at seniors residences across Quebec. Nearly half those cases were linked to an outbreak at Manoir Gouin in Montreal, where 32 residents have active cases of COVID-19 and three have died. There have been no other deaths linked to active COVID-19 outbreaks at seniors residences in the province, the Health Department added.
Health officials said Friday there were 41 cases of COVID-19 linked to long-term care facilities and two deaths connected with active outbreaks in those centres.
Dr. Andre Veillette, an immunologist at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute, which is affiliated with Universite de Montreal, said the 32 cases at Manoir Gouin is a lot for one facility. It could be due to bad luck, lack of vaccination, but it might also be a sign the protection offered by the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is progressively waning, he said.
"I think one of the questions that need to be addressed very fast, and it's the same for CHSLDs (long-term care homes), whether these people should get a third dose," Veillette said.
"I think there's enough evidence in other places in the world that I think warrants these people being vaccinated with a third dose."
Quebec's immunization committee recently recommended a third dose for those who are immunocompromised or undergoing dialysis, but it has not done so for people in elder care settings.
"I think it's to be expected there will be cases, there are even cases among younger, vaccinated people," Veillette said. "But what we don't want is for them to get very sick or die … and we don't want them to be hospitalized either."
If cases continue to rise in seniors homes and long-term care residences, then the facilities would enforce basic health orders such as masking and physical distancing, Veillette said. But he said he doesn't expect a return to the tragedies that unfolded during earlier waves.
"We're in very good shape," he said. "We will see some people catching the virus even with a lot of people vaccinated," adding that there will be occasional cases in which the vaccines don't work very well.
Meanwhile, the Health Department confirmed Thursday it had asked hospital managers in five regions, including Montreal, Laval and the Outaouais, to increase the number of beds reserved for COVID-19 patients.
The increase is "primarily a result of the demand for intensive care beds for COVID patients," Health Department spokeswoman Marjorie Larouche wrote in an email. Adding to the number of beds reserved for COVID-19 patients will reduce the number of beds available for others, she said.
A government health-care research institute, INESSS, said Thursday that while the number of new COVID-19 cases in the province has stabilized after rising for two months, it expected the number of hospitalizations linked to the disease to continue rising over the next three weeks.
The Health Department reported 701 new COVID-19 cases Friday and two more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. It said the number of hospitalizations rose by 15, to 298, after 50 patients entered hospital in the past 24 hours and 35 were discharged. There were 91 people in intensive care, a rise of one.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.