April 23rd, 2020

NDP calls for nursing home COVID-19 outbreaks to be publicly posted

QUEEN’S PARK — The Official Opposition wants a list of long-term care facilities and other congregate care settings experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 to be posted publicly online.

The NDP’s call comes after at least 31 deaths were confirmed at a Pickering long-term care facility that was reporting only four deaths just days ago.

“This is a scary time for families with loved ones in long-term care. They have a right to truthful information,” said Ontario NDP Long Term Care critic Teresa Armstrong. “Residents and their families have a right to make informed decisions. An accurate, up-to-date public list is an effective way to give the public the information they need to keep their families safe from COVID-19.”

Ontario’s iPHIS data reporting system has been consistently wrong, underreporting the number of deaths in long-term care by about 100 people, at last count. Both the former Liberal and current Conservative governments have been warned that iPHIS is inaccurate, but have ignored the warnings for years.