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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.