Delay blurs scope of Maples tragedy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2020 (1937 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The depth of the COVID-19 tragedy still unfolding at Maples Long Term Care Home is just coming to light after the care home operator admitted reporting lapses delayed the announcement of an additional 18 residents deaths over the past two weeks.

On Sunday, Manitoba public health announced seven new deaths at the home between Nov. 3 and 14 in addition to 11 deaths reported from the care facility Saturday, dating back as far as Nov. 2. Since the outbreak began, 125 residents and 56 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, while reports of deaths vary from the 32 reported by the company to 35 reported by the province.

The home is currently the subject of a Winnipeg Regional Health Authority investigation into several suspected lapses in procedure. The opposition has renewed calls for the province to follow Ontario’s lead and call in the military for help.

Revera Inc., the company that owns Maples along with several other care homes across the country, told the Free Press Sunday that death announcements have been delayed due to a backlog of formal paperwork.

“When a resident passes away, we report this event to the WRHA. Each time a resident has passed we have reported the passing to the WRHA. We did, however, fall behind in completing the comprehensive death notification documentation which is required by Public Health,” a representative for Revera said in an email.

“This documentation can only be completed by clinical staff at Maples, and our clinical staff are the same people who need to deliver clinical care to our residents. The home prioritized resident care and as a result the paperwork for Public Health was delayed and completed on Friday for 11 persons who had passed away.”

As of Friday, Revera said seven resident cases and 30 staff cases were active.

The deaths at Maples announced Sunday include one woman and two men in their 80s, along with two women and two men in their 90s.

The WRHA launched a probe into the care home after paramedics were dispatched and found a number of patients deteriorating rapidly. Two died before paramedics arrived, three were transported to hospital and others were treated onsite for hours. Officials are probing several concerns, including improper use of protective equipment and a lack of documentation regarding the feeding and hydrating of patients. It is unclear whether the patients were fed and hydrated or if it was a failure in documentation.

Manitoba public health announced 10 deaths related to COVID-19 in the province Sunday — including seven at Maples — bringing the provincial total to 162. The three other deaths were reported as a woman in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region, a man in his 100s linked to the Seine River Retirement Residence, Assisted Living Facility cluster, and a female in her 70s from Southern Health.

A record 494 new cases of the virus were announced Sunday, bringing the provincial total to 10,947 cases since February, with 6,715 cases currently active.

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew issued another call for support from the provincial government in a statement Sunday.

“Manitobans are worried and looking for leadership. This is yet another day of record-breaking case counts and more tragic deaths, yet the Premier is silent,” Kinew said.

“The province continues to ignore calls to bring in military supports at our overloaded care homes, including those across the province, despite public health experts acknowledging it could be helpful. Front line health care workers are at the breaking point as ICUs and centres are overloaded. They need more than just tokens or words of gratitude from the province, they need PPE.”

A total 266 of the new cases were identified in the Winnipeg health region, 136 new cases were reported in Southern Health, 34 cases in Prairie Mountain Health, 30 cases in the Northern health region, and 28 cases in Interlake-Eastern.

There are 220 Manitobans in hospital related to COVID-19, with a record 41 COVID patients in the ICU.

The test positivity rate in the province is currently 12.4 per cent provincially and 13.1 per cent in Winnipeg.

 

 

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers