MONTREAL (JTA) — A prominent Jewish nursing home in Montreal has seen dozens of residents and staffers infected by COVID-19 amid the second wave of the pandemic to hit Quebec.
The virus has struck 40 residents and 22 staff members at the 600-bed Maimonides Geriatric Centre — the second highest number of cases among nursing homes in Quebec, according to data provided by the province.
The public facility, in the predominantly Jewish suburb of Cote St. Luc, is suffering from acute staff shortages, the English language daily The Gazette reported Tuesday, obliging family members and hired companions to pitch in.
The situation, similar to what occurred during the original onslaught of COVID-19 in the spring, might be spiraling out of control, some family members fear, according to The Gazette.
Residents’ families sent a letter with their concerns Monday to Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube noting that the smaller staff is forced to move between “hot” and “cold” zones at Maimonides.
Joyce Shanks, whose 81-year-old father lives there, said that “more than 10% of the population is infected already and we are just at the beginning of the second wave.”
In a note sent Monday to residents’ families, the facility confirmed that four residents have died and 50 have been infected since the second wave began, including seven that have since recovered.
In the spring, Maimonides also had one of the highest levels of COVID infections among nursing homes in Quebec.
The province’s regional Integrated Health and Social Services University Network oversees the facility.