\n
At a time when Ontario is implementing stricter measures to help protect the province\u2019s most vulnerable living in long-term care homes, questions are being raised about a directive issued by the province\u2019s top doctor, saying staff who are COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic can go to work.<\/p>\n
The document, obtained by Global News, is titled \u201cDirective #3 for Long-Term Care Homes under the Long-Term Care Homes Act,\u201d authored by Dr. David Williams, Ontario\u2019s Chief Medical Officer of Health.<\/p>\n
In part, it reads: \u201cStaff who have tested positive and are symptomatic cannot attend work. Staff who have tested positive and have symptom resolution and are deemed critical may return to work under work isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a media conference at Queen\u2019s Park Tuesday, Williams said the directive is aimed at helping to alleviate staffing levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe essential worker \u2026 could, if it was really critical and agreed on by all parties \u2026 return to the work situation if they were still asymptomatic and wear proper PPE (personal protective equipment) while on the job,\u201d explained Williams.<\/p>\n
Advocacy groups say the staffing issues plagued long-term care homes well before COVID-19 ever presented itself, arguing the current crisis has only exacerbated the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe this recommendation was made in reflection of the fact there are just not enough staff in long-term care, and when a home goes through an outbreak, there\u2019s even less staff,\u201d said Lisa Levine, who represents AdvantAge Ontario, a seniors\u2019 advocacy group based in Toronto.<\/p>\n
The province\u2019s minister of health says Ontario recently learned that someone can be asymptomatic and still be able to transmit the virus to another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be particularly careful, so that\u2019s something I would be very concerned about as a province-wide strategy,\u201d added Christine Elliott.<\/p>\n
Shortly thereafter, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca tweeted his criticism of the Ford government.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncredibly disappointing Christine Elliott actually said today she only \u2018recently learned\u2019 asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers can spread the virus,\u201d the tweet read.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis borders on incompetence and only increases risk to patients and healthcare workers across Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n
One medical expert, an infectious disease specialist at University of Toronto says outbreaks happen in long-term care homes because of improper infection control practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly these people [staff in care homes] are vulnerable \u2013 clearly there have been breaks in infection control these people should not be working if they\u2019re positive for COVID-19,\u201d explains Dr. Anna Banerji.<\/div>\n
\u201cSending someone in who doesn\u2019t have symptoms but is positive for COVID, to me it just doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA) is also condemning the practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cImplementations of directives such as these are an indication that the province must move to a self-regulatory model for the PSW in order to prevent chronic staffing shortages like this from causing future harm to innocent members of the public,\u201d writes Miranda Ferrier, the national president of OPSWA.<\/p>\n
The Ontario Health Coalition says it plans to call for a full inquiry into how the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care dealt with the novel coronavirus in nursing homes across the province.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot imagine, what critical staff could actually be isolated in the home. So the practicality of that directive is a huge question in our minds,\u201d explains Natalie Mehra.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do expect I think that there would be policy mistakes but some of the things just require an explanation.<\/p>\n
Click here for original article<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(April 14, 2020) By: Morganne Campbell, Global News At a time when Ontario is implementing stricter measures to help protect the province\u2019s most vulnerable living in long-term care homes, questions are being raised about a directive issued by the province\u2019s top doctor, saying staff who are COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic can go to work. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ohc-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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