N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 42% of COVID-related deaths have occurred in long-term care homes

Forty-two per cent of COVID-19-related deaths in New Brunswick have occurred in long-term care homes since the start of the pandemic, according to figures provided by the Department of Health.

Fifty-seven of the 136 COVID-related deaths as of Monday have been in nursing homes and adult residential homes, such as special care homes, the figures show.

Because of a shortage of personnel and equipment, many nursing homes were simply not prepared for a pandemic of this magnitude, said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.

"Even before the pandemic, we had a lot of elderly people who had died just from the simple flu, due to there being four per room," she said. "There is not enough staff, they are not sufficiently supervised, nutrition was not adequate.

"The life, the quality of care of our elderly are in danger today."

But Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch contends inspectors from his department ensure nursing homes are respecting the employee-per-resident ratio, so that proper care is provided.

COVID-19 took everyone by surprise, he said, but he believes the provincial government's response has been good given the circumstances.

The 57 deaths occurred in 14 facilities.

The government would not provide the list of homes where there has been at least one death, as well as the exact number of deaths by establishment.

In some cases, places where deaths have occurred have already become public, however.

The Manoir Belle Vue in Edmundston, Pavillon Beau Lieu in Grand Falls, the Drew Nursing Home in Sackville, Shannex Tucker Hall in Saint John, and Villa Renaissance in Dalhousie, for example, were particularly hard-hit.

According to Silas, the situation in New Brunswick is comparable to what exists in other provinces.

"There isn't a province that can boast of having good long-term care, which is why it's a national crisis," she said.

Several nursing homes were already in critical condition at the onset of the crisis, mainly because of understaffing.