Coroner Says Quebec Health Department Chose to Ignore COVID-19 Risk in Long-Term Care

Coroner Says Quebec Health Department Chose to Ignore COVID-19 Risk in Long-Term Care
Coroner Géhane Kamel comments on her report on the death of Joyce Echaquan, during a news conference in Trois-Rivières, Que., Oct. 5, 2021. The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz
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A long-awaited report from the Quebec coroner says residents of long-term care homes were kept in a blind spot while the provincial government reacted to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Géhane Kamel, who investigated deaths in long-term care during the early days of the pandemic, concludes that the Health Department offered no specific instructions to long-term care homes despite knowing older people were particularly at-risk from the novel coronavirus.