Ontario Long Term Care Association CEO Donna Duncan released the following statement:

“The Ontario Long Term Care Association, representing 70% of the province’s long-term care homes, welcomes today’s announcement by the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health introducing new measures to further protect residents in long-term care. These are important actions responding to the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant focused on protecting residents, and the staff, students, volunteers, caregivers and support workers who provide care and support for their well-being.

With the support of local public health units and their partners in hospitals, family health teams, and pharmacies, Ontario’s long-term care homes can begin the rollout of additional fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible long-term care residents for increased protection.

Staffing levels remain a concern, given the transmissibility of the Omicron variant. Mandating third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for staff, ensuring they are prioritized for vaccination, and rigorous ‘test to work’ protocols will help to reduce staffing losses to the virus.

As visitation is paused, long-term care homes are doing everything they can to support the wellbeing of their residents, and are grateful for the continued presence of essential caregivers and their invaluable support to residents.”

About OLTCA

The Ontario Long Term Care Association is the largest association of long-term care providers in Canada and the only association that represents the full mix of long-term care operators – private, not-for-profit, charitable, and municipal. We represent nearly 70% of Ontario’s 630 long-term care homes, located in communities across the province. Our members provide care and accommodation services to more than 70,000 residents annually.