OPINION

We must act now to prevent a second wave of long-term care deaths

Carole Estabrooks is the scientific director of the Translating Research in Elder Care program and a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Colleen M. Flood is University Research Chair & Director of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics, University of Ottawa. Sharon Straus is a professor with the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

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The majority of COVID-19 deaths to date in Canada have been long-term care (LTC) home residents and workers. Most deaths have been in Quebec and Ontario, although there have been several hotspots across the country. To date, Canada has the highest reported national proportion of COVID-19 deaths for LTC residents in the world, with 85 per cent of total COVID-19 deaths; the majority are women. Other comparable countries report percentages ranging from 29 (Australia) to 35 (U.S.) to 54 (England and Wales. Globally, the fatality rate for people with COVID-19 is estimated at 3.4 per cent. In Canada, it’s 7 per cent, but the fatality rate of LTC residents is as high as 29 per cent.

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