Trade unions representing health care workers in long-term care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador say uncontrolled COVID-19 infections in staff and residents are exacerbating the situation. Jerry Earl, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, told CBC News that nearly 800 health care workers, most of them in long-term care, are out of work due to COVID-19. “It’s probably more serious than ever, because the numbers of health care workers are either positive or in isolation are equivalent to any time during the pandemic,” Earle said on Friday. Earlier this week, Health Minister John Haggie told CBC News that the province’s health care system would “manage” to cope with rising levels of COVID-19. Earle said NAPE represents about 85 percent of the county’s long-term care staff, and Haggie’s comments do not reflect what he heard from members. “In long-term care we do not succeed. We have facilities that actually operate short sometimes.” The number of long-term home care staff in solitary confinement due to COVID-19 varies daily. CBC News asked each regional health authority how many workers are currently out of work due to COVID-19. As of Friday night, the only regional health authority to respond was Western Health, which said 27 of the 660 long-term employees at home were in isolation.

Impact on residents

As of Friday, 38 people had been hospitalized for COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador – two lower than the provincial record of 40 on Monday. However, Yvette Coffey, president of the association representing the county registered nurses, says that number does not reflect the number of patients and residents in hospital or long-term care having COVID-19. “The actual number of patients and residents infected with COVID, either after admission or in our long-term care facility, is much higher,” Coffey said Thursday. Yvette Coffey, president of Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador, says the number of hospitalizations on the government’s COVID-19 control panel does not reflect the number of patients in COVID-19 long-term care facilities. (Emma Grunwald / CBC)
Coffey said she had heard of COVID-19 outbreaks at multiple long-term care facilities, including Lakeside Homes, a facility in Gander, where she said nearly 60 percent of residents had recently become infected. Earle said some long-term care homes struggle to retain enough staff to provide basic personal care to residents, who often need help with chores such as eating and bathing. He said he had heard from healthcare workers who believed the restrictions on public health had been lifted too soon and would like to see some rehabilitated, especially in healthcare facilities. “We definitely need to sit down and see what we can do to ensure that things stabilize and do not get worse,” he said. Earle said the number of patients and residents with COVID-19 is also a burden on staff because of the extra level of care they require.

The elderly are drowning

Health officials said part of the reason for lifting the restrictions on public health in March was to begin a return to normalcy, but on Friday, the director of information and referral services for Seniors NL said that most seniors who contact the agency they are still in pain to avoid becoming infected. “It’s very difficult for people’s mental health and of course, you know, isolation and loneliness can also affect your physical health,” said Elizabeth Siegel. Siegel said the organization also helps low-income seniors struggling with the cost of living. He said the Seniors NL have heard of people being forced to choose between food and medicine or struggling to cope with the heat. “People are really, really mixed up out there, and I think there’s a lot of fear around that as well.” Siegel encouraged people to remember the impact of the pandemic on the elderly in Newfoundland and Labrador. “Some people feel it ‘s over, but it’ s not really over and it ‘s not over for seniors who are a little more vulnerable to the effects of COVID,” he said. they need something and see how they do it “. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador