COVID-19 has killed 50 residents at Mississauga long-term care home

A total of 50 residents have died of COVID-19 at a long-term care home in Mississauga in the last few weeks, the facility reported on Saturday.

Camilla Care Community is grieving the loss of these residents, Natalie Gokchenian, communications director for Sienna Senior Living, said in an email to CBC Toronto. Sienna Senior Living is the home's parent company.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families for their loss. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this time," Gokchenian said.

A total of 166 residents at Camilla Care Community, 2250 Hurontario St., tested positive for the virus, according to Peel Public Health.

Gokchenian said there are currently 62 "active" cases involving residents at the home, while 35 staff members are recovering in isolation. The home has more than 230 beds.

A total of 49 residents and 12 staff members have recovered from COVID-19 at Camilla.

"We continue to actively retest residents, which is essential in quickly identifying anyone who becomes COVID-19 positive, despite the fact that these residents may have tested with negative results previously," Gokchenian said.

Crosses have been placed on the lawn of the home by loved ones and community members in honour of the deceased residents. 

Home says it has adequate staffing during outbreak

Gokchenian said the home is working with Trillium Health Partners and Peel Region Public Health to test all residents and staff members, she said.

Trillium Health Partners is providing additional resources and expertise, she added.

"Thanks to the hard work of our team and health partners, we are now seeing positive progress in the fight against COVID-19," she said.

Gokchenian said the home is working with public health authorities to ensure all precautions and directives are in place. In an update to the media on Friday, the home said these precautions and directives are as follows: 

• Isolation protocols are in all home areas.
• All staff members are wearing surgical face masks and having their temperature taken twice per shift.
• There is frequent monitoring of the health of all residents, including temperatures checked twice daily.
• There is frequent, rigorous cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces.
• No non-essential visitors are allowed and any essential visitor is actively screened, which includes temperature checks. 

"Our focus is on caring, serving and protecting residents, as well as communicating with families during this very stressful time," she said.

"I can confirm that Camilla Care Community has the adequate staffing during this outbreak and, again, we thank Trillium Health Partners for working alongside our team. There has been no interruption to services provided to residents as a result of COVID-19. Our team is truly doing the work of heroes."

The home has "adequate supplies" of personal protective equipment for its staff members, she added.

Gokchenian said the home is committed to keeping family members of residents informed of developments. When the health status of a resident changes, a staff member calls the designated family member directly and provides information.

Peel Public Health reports 196 COVID-19 deaths total

On its website, Peel Public Health says there are 25 outbreaks in Peel region institutional settings, which includes long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals.

As of Saturday at 1 p.m., a total of 196 deaths of COVID-19 have been reported in Peel region, of which 119 were long-term care home residents. The median age of all people who have died is 84.

The majority of COVID-19 deaths in Peel region have occurred in Mississauga.

Peel region has 3,011 cases, with 175 hospitalized. A total of 2,098 people have recovered from the virus.

On May 1, Camilla Care Community reported 44 deaths.

Peel Public Health says the discrepancy between the number of fatalities reported by Camilla Care and what was reported days later could be due to the time it takes for reports to be received, verified against case data for accuracy, and then finalized for reporting.

A delay in the latest numbers appearing on its website is also due to this "reporting chain," it said.

"In this instance, it was not that all these deaths occurred on the same day, but that our various investigations and verification processes for those deaths all closed at that moment. We continue to report confirmed COVID-19 deaths in all LTCs in our region as soon as we are able," Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel Region's interim medical officer of health, told CBC Toronto in a statement on Saturday. 

The public health unit is helping to manage the outbreak at Camilla, he added.

"Peel Public Health's role has focused on directing outbreak control and testing measures as well as enhancing infection prevention and control with the intent to arrest transmission in the facility," Loh said.

"Camilla Care has remained a high priority home throughout our response; we understand how difficult it must be for residents and their families and continue to do everything we can to support their efforts to combat spread." 

On Friday, when Camilla Care Community reported 44 deaths, that number accounted for 37 per cent of all deaths related to COVID-19 in the region's long-term care homes and 22 per cent of all COVID-19 fatalities in total across the region.

'This is an absolute tragedy,' mayor says

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said in an email on Saturday that she knows the home is working closely with Peel Public Health and Trillium Health Partners on infection prevention and control and ongoing testing of residents and staff.

"This is an absolute tragedy. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who have passed and those who are still fighting at Camilla Care. It is never easy to lose someone you love, and it is particularly difficult when you do not have a chance to say goodbye," Crombie said. 

"The situation at Camilla Care has also been incredibly difficult for staff who are working under immense pressure with several having contracted the virus themselves."

Crombie urged people in Peel region to continue following public health directives to stay home to slow community spread of the virus.

"The situation in seniors' homes across the province is very serious and underscores why we need to stay the course a little while longer," she said. "We need to continue to fight for our seniors and those most vulnerable, Please, stay at home for them."