Ontario nursing homes badly prepared for COVID-19 pandemic: auditor general

Ontario’s auditor general says long-term care homes were poorly prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Auditor Bonnie Lysyk says both the provincial government and the nursing-home sector failed to heed lessons learned from the SARS epidemic.

The report found systemic issues like chronic staffing shortages and inconsistent infection prevention and control practices, that were in place prior to COVID-19, were not addressed.

Her special report also notes the sector’s lack of integration within the health-care system.

As a result, she says long-term care homes were unable to benefit from hospital and public health expertise in infection controls.

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COVID-19 hit Ontario’s long-term care homes with brutal and lethal effect last spring. In all, the disease killed at least 3,756 residents and 11 staff.

At one point, the military had to go in to help at the worst-hit homes.