November 30th, 2020
November 30th, 2020
QUEEN’S PARK –Doug Ford must stop the unacceptable delays, and get N95 masks to Sudbury seniors care facilities, frontline health care workers and caregivers now, said local NDP MPPs during question period on Monday.
Sudbury’s seniors care facilities have been waiting six months, and they still have not received the masks they need, while the Ford government continues to drag its heels on updating provincial health directives to ensure delivery of urgent PPE.
“In Sudbury, the first wave of COVID-19 caused the loss of a life at St Joseph's Continuing Care. Although the Minister of Long-Term Care, continues to state that long-term care homes have the PPE they require, Jo-Anne Palkovits, the CEO of St-Joseph Complex Continuing Care Hospital and two long-term care homes, have been trying to replenish their stock of N95 masks since June. Six months have passed and St-Joseph’s is still missing the PPE they need.” said Jamie West, MPP for Sudbury.
“The premier needs to listen to science, update health directives and get these badly needed N95s into long term care and retirement homes in Sudbury, and across the province, now.’’
“After several months of delay, will the premier commit to finally getting the N95 PPE masks to St Joseph's Continuing Care in Sudbury?”
France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt and the NDP’s health critic said front line health workers need the Ford government to update its health directives — just one of the roadblocks the government has in place preventing health care workers from getting the N95 masks they need.
Gélinas said that last week the Ontario Nurses Association wrote to Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health stating that Ontario still has not updated public health directives to recognize the aerosol risk that COVID presents, despite the fact that it’s been almost two months since the Centre for Disease Control recognized COVID could spread through aerosol in the air, and one month since Public Health Canada updated their directive.
“From the beginning the Ford government refused to use the precautionary principle; the number one recommendation from SARS. Since then 9,554 health care workers were infected and eight Long Term Care workers died of COVID-19,” said Gélinas.
“Now the science is here, this coronavirus transmits through aerosol. This means our frontline health care workers need an N95 respirator or better when caring for a suspected or infected people.
“When is this government going to listen to science, listen to public health experts and update their directive on COVID-19 transmission?”