While Laval is Quebec’s third largest municipality, it became second only to Montreal for deaths from the COVID-19 virus on April 9 – with a total of 41 fatalities.
Quebec public health authorities say a long road lies ahead before COVID-19 is contained.
The number of COVID-19 deaths in Laval to this date was less than half Montreal’s 93 fatalities, but still significantly ahead of the third-ranking region, Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec, which had 29 deaths from the disease.
In Québec, to date, according to Santé Québec officials, there were 10,912 confirmed cases of COVID‑19, including a total of 216 deaths. Laval ranks third in the province for confirmed cases (897), behind Montérégie (1,108) and Montreal (5,262).
Quebec’s director-general for public health, Horacio Arruda, has ordered an inquiry by his department into the high rate of infection and mortality at the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée, as well as at other health institutions in the province where there have been severe outbreaks of COVID-19 infection.
The CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée on Samson Blvd.
At least half the residents at CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée have come down with the coronavirus infection, as have many of the staff members.
While the CISSS de Laval maintains that normal procedures at the CHSLD have been followed, the toll at the Samson Blvd. long-term care facility stands in contrast to two other Laval-areas CHSLDs where there were no reports to date of COVID-19 infection. Up to April 8, there were 28 fatalities from COVID-19 in Laval, 13 of which were at the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée.
Four members of the staff at the Centre de jeunesse de Laval (the region’s youth protection authority) are infected with the COVID-19 virus, while four others are waiting to hear whether they too are infected after undergoing testing.
Staff at the Centre de jeunesse de Laval are being tested for COVID-19 infection.
The CISSS de Laval confirmed that the employees found to be infected were asymptomatic while working from April 1-4, but that they withdrew into isolation at home following the diagnosis. The CISSS maintained on April 8 that no clients of the centre had been found to be showing symptoms of the virus.
The death toll at the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée from COVID-19 stood at 13 by mid-day on April 8, the CISSS de Laval said in a statement issued at 1 pm. The CHSLD has been the scene of the highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in an institutional setting in Quebec since the crisis began.
According to the regional health authority, 831 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Laval to that date and time, an increase of 72 cases since the previous day. The number of fatalities was 28, there were 38 hospitalizations, eight of those hospitalized were in intensive care, and 131 CISSS employees were infected.
Chomedey had the most number of infection cases with 142, while Fabreville/Sainte-Rose had the least with 95 confirmations. (The CISSS noted that these per-sector numbers don’t include cases from CHSLDs and seniors residences.)
Testing for COVID-19 at the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée conducted by the CISSS de Laval indicate that at least 69 of the long term care residence’s 174 clients are infected with the virus, the CISSS said in a statement on April 7. They said that all employees at the CHSLD are being subjected to preventive testing to limit transmission by asymptomatic workers.
In addition to the existing follow-up measures and to reassure family members, the CISSS de Laval is setting up a special team in charge of communicating with them so that family members will be able to get answers to their questions and receive support.
The CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée on Samson Blvd.
Management at CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée say they have taken the following measures since the start of the pandemic:
Clinical staff from other facilities were transferred to the Centre d’hébergement Sainte-Dorothée to support their colleagues and provide care and services to residents. These staff members will remain at Ste-Dorothée and will not be transferred back to other facilities. Managers from other departments came to lend a hand and helped to coordinate the concerted efforts of staff. Two members of the infection prevention and control team are on site to ensure compliance with the protection and prevention measures. It is now mandatory to wear personal protective equipment for all contact with residents to protect staff and users. Employees must change their gown and gloves if they have contact with a person infected with COVID-19. Employees must now wear a procedural mask and safety glasses at all times. Starting April 7, everyone is required to wear a procedural mask in all facilities for any contact. This includes contact between colleagues, if less than 2 metres away.
Despite reports of shortages of face masks and other protective equipment, the CISSS says it is monitoring the situation. “There is enough for each employee who is required to wear such protection,” they said, adding that “at the moment, there are two guaranteed deliveries per day.”
A total of eight people were reported to have died at the CHSLD Sainte-Dorothée of the COVID-19 virus up to Monday, according to CIUSSS de Laval officials. The number of confirmed cases of infection at the 174-resident long-term care facility on Samson Blvd. in Sainte-Dorothée stood at 105, including staff. According to media reports, there is an acute shortage of facial masks and other protective gear at the residence and union officials have filed Workers Health and Safety Board grievances.
The CISSS de Laval confirms that there had been 21 deaths from COVID-19 up to the early afternoon of April 6.
As well, 712 infection cases have been confirmed, along with 33 hospitalizations, of which seven cases are in intensive care, and 87 CISSS de Laval workers are among those who are infected.
The greatest number of infections is in Chomedey, where there are 131 such cases. This is followed by Duvernay/Saint-François/Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (111), Pont-Viau/Renaud/Laval-des-Rapides (99), Vimont/Auteuil (95), Sainte-Dorothée/Laval-Ouest/Îles-de-Laval/Fabreville-Ouest (94) and Fabreville-Est/Sainte-Rose (85).
In order to respect protocols set up by the provincial government to deal with potential infection from COVID-19, the City of Laval has announced that it will be conducting its annual spring cleanup according to a modified plan.
The city has compiled a list of priority cleanup tasks to carried out in April, in accordance with the plan. They include sewer and waterworks maintenance, pothole repairs, cleanup of trash and waste from public places, and tree pruning.
“Taking the pandemic into account, we are focusing our efforts on activities that are essential and priority,” said Laval executive-committee member Ray Khalil, who is responsible for public works dossiers.
Following the Quebec government’s decree that agriculture is an essential service during the COVID-19 crisis, the City of Laval is inviting residents to think of buying local this summer when making their fruit and vegetable purchases.
The government’s decree means that the vast majority of greenhouses and market garden stalls in Laval will remain open this summer should the COVID-19 situation continue longer than predicted.
“We are inviting the population to encourage Laval’s agricultural businesses and to buy local,” says city councillor for Sainte-Dorothée Ray Khalil, who is responsible for agriculture dossiers on the executive-committee.
