Elderly Canadians Hit Hardest by COVID-19 as Deaths in Long-term Care Facilities Rise

Outbreaks in long-term care homes the most pressing epidemic problem, says Tam

A person wearing protective equipment looks out of a window at the Herron seniors residence Monday April 13, 2020 in Dorval near Montreal's Trudeau airport. Thirty-one residents are confirmed to have died in the past month. Ryan Remiorz/ The Canadian Press

With nearly half the deaths in Canada related to COVID-19 occurring in long-term care homes, the spread of the virus in these facilities has become the most crucial problem to emerge during the past two weeks of the pandemic, says Canada’s chief public health officer.

“We know that close to half of the deaths that we’re tracking are linked to long-term care facilities, but that ratio is actually different in different provinces,” Dr. Theresa Tam said at her daily press briefing on April 13.