COVID-19 outbreak at the Anna-Laberge Hospital could have been avoided, according to doctors

An uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak has been raging at the Anna-Laberge Hospital in Chateauguay since January. Fifteen people are dead. Nearly 100 have caught the coronavirus – a situation that could have been avoided, argue doctors. One possible solution would have been to open an overflow unit in the basement, which would have made it possible to better isolate infected patients and hence, contain the outbreak. Fingers are also being pointed at the lack of personnel to explain the outbreak that took hold at the Chateauguay hospital. “All within the context of exhaustion, Dr. Félix Le-Phat-Ho says – there was a mess up in management.” In an article published by Radio-Canada, his colleague Dr. Sylvain Dufresne, 1st line medical coordinator at the Vaudreuil-Soulanges territorial service network, stressed that structural issues were responsible for the outbreak. Figures show a shortage of 500 nurses in hospitals. A reassignment affects another 250 staff members. At the beginning of the month, the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest asked for Health Ministry SWAT Teams to come. “The call for help is too little, too late, Dr. Le-Phat-Ho says. We had potential solutions in our hands long before that. The ministry came to see what is already being denounced.” He found it difficult to have to contact all the families to explain the situation. “We want people to come here to heal, not to die,” added the 1st line medical coordinator of the Jardins-Roussillon territorial service network. Sixty-one patients and 33 healthcare workers have been affected by the outbreak. Translation Paula Dayan-Perez