[GTranslate]TORONTO – Third wave of Covid-19 on the way and staff shortages in long-term care homes. The situation is not expected to be rosy in the coming months. The cry of alarm was raised yesterday by the Ontario Long Term Care Association although it is certainly no secret that the province is looking for health staff, personal support workers primarily for long term care, nursing homes and hospitals. Over the past year, the system has been under pressure due to a lack of sufficient PSW: to overcome the problem, the government first announced the allocation of $4.1 million to support the accelerated training of workers in the sector in the province and then that of 115 million for training 8,200 PSW.

The economic side plays a decisive role in the crisis. The recent $3 an hour pay rise announced in October to attract new staff to nursing homes has penalized PSW workers who work in nursing homes.  “There was already a wage differential between long term care homes and nursing homes, and so this made it more evident – said Highview Residences CEO Joy Birch – what continues to be the focus of my attention is the situation of the staff, because the more fragile it is, the more you take risks if a real outbreak of the virus arrives”.

According to experts, the signs of the third wave of Covid are all there. After all, after a steady descent for several days, the infections are now rising decisively. The only hope to avoid a new slaughter of elderly people in both nursing homes and nursing homes is the fact that the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine has been administered”. “We hope that the vaccine will work and that if it enters these facilities and someone contracts it, it will not devastate homes as has happened in recent months.”

In vaccines, therefore, there is the hope that they can be the brake on the spread of the virus that has brought every corner of the world to its knees.

But the problems in LTC homes don’t seem to be going towards the end. Just two days ago, a compliance order was issued to Extendicare Inc. Which operates Southlake Residential Care Village in Newmarket from the region’s medical officer of health due to inadequate staff and insufficient infection control practices during a Covid-19 outbreak.

Southlake Residential Care Village is one of 72 long-stay nursing homes in Ontario that are currently facing a Covid-19 outbreak.

Under Section 29.2 (1) of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, health officials in the midst of an outbreak have the authority to require a long-stay nursing home or nursing home to take a specific action.

The order of Dr. Karim Kurji, a health official in the York region, requires Extendicare to comply with all guidelines given to combat the Covid-19 epidemic, ensure that equipment and supplies are accessible to staff and residents, ensure that staff are sufficient to respond to the epidemic, and that all staff and visitors use personal protective equipment.

Failure to comply with a Section 29.2 (1) order could result in a daily fine of up to $5,000.