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Canadian care homes failed to report Covid outbreaks, killing 192 patients: Report

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: May 18, 2021, 07:34 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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Reportedly, the care facilities failed to officially declare the outbreaks on their premises after a worker first got infected

Coronavirus is known to cause complications especially among the old, and spreads easily in places where a lot of people are constantly coming in contact with each other. It becomes dangerous when a low-risk asymptomatic patient transmits it to others who may have underlying health conditions.

Now, an investigation from Canada sheds light on how quickly and mercilessly the virus can take hold of a place if left unchecked.  According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), at least 192 care home residents in Vancouver, Canada died of COVID-19. The report alleges that the care facilities deliberately withheld data about the pandemic.

Reportedly, the care facilities failed to officially declare the outbreaks on their premises after a worker first got infected. Now, the tally of infected has touched 1,000, SCMP reported. The report adds that Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Fraser Health deliberately withheld data about its inability to actively manage the outbreak.

The data was reportedly only revealed after “freedom of information” requests were lodged with the authorities. Ontario, Canada’s most populous province recently extended its stay-at-home orders to June 2 after a surge took over the region.

Experts believe the province reopened prematurely and new variants that are more infectious may also be behind the increased number of cases. The country has reported 1,328,582 Cold infections and 24,948 deaths since the pandemic began.

In the last few weeks, the average number of cases in the country have declined. The largest surge in the country was witnessed on April 17.