COVID-19 nursing home deaths ‘devastating,’ says physician
The Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., has been hit particularly hard by the spread of COVID-19. At least 12 residents and one volunteer worker have died of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
In an interview with CBC’s Rosemary Barton, Dr. Stephen Oldridge, a physician at that care home, which is in a small cottage community 150 km northeast of Toronto, said the outbreak there is unlike anything he has ever seen before.
Oldridge himself was asked to go into quarantine after developing respiratory symptoms, though later tested negative. At least 24 out of the home’s 66 staff members have tested positive for the virus.
Oldridge says he wishes he could be back inside working to help the vulnerable people at risk.
The situation at Pinecrest highlights how vulnerable seniors facilities are to the outbreak. In Ontario, for example, 30 out of the province’s 41 deaths from COVID-19 have been residents of nursing and retirement homes.
«Pinecrest is just an example of how bad it can be, how bad it can get,» Oldridge said.
Watch the full interview with Oldridge above.
