A Scarborough long-term care home currently experiencing an outbreak continues to face staffing challenges as two more residents died from COVID-19 on Sunday.
North York General Hospital, which is temporarily managing Tendercare Living Centre, said that there is an immediate need for more nurses at the facility.
“With the entire Ontario health care system under major strain as cases of COVID climb, and the very high demand for health professionals across the system, finding additional staff is very difficult for all organizations at this time,” the hospital said in a statement on Sunday.
“There continues to be challenges to boost staffing levels above baseline to manage the outbreak effectively.”
The hospital said it is working with the facility’s management and other health agencies to recruit more nurses.
With the two additional deaths, a total of 41 residents at the home located in the area of Victoria Park and McNicoll avenues have died since the outbreak was declared earlier this month.
According to the hospital, there are 128 residents and 69 staff members who are still infected with the virus as of Sunday.
“Primary care physicians and specialists from North York General Hospital and the community are on site every day in addition to the physicians already affiliated with the long-term care home,” the statement read.
“The physician team on site is providing medical and personal care to residents and working hard to connect with family members to discuss their loved ones’ situation.”
On Sunday, several families held a protest outside the home.
“Every second counts now. We are asking for basic care, food, water, nutrition,” said Clorie Ng, whose 88-year-old mother tested positive Christmas Day. “‘Are we giving up on our seniors because they are weak?’ We are all going to die, but we want to die with dignity.”
North York General Hospital noted that they are also providing additional resources to call families and respond to their questions.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, the Ministry of Long-Term Care Home said it is working with its health partners to improve infection prevention and control measures at the home.
“We are grateful for the support the teams from the local public health unit, the local health integration network, hospitals and others are providing to the home,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.
“Our top priority from the beginning of this pandemic was, and remains, to protect the health, safety and well-being of our most vulnerable residents and the heroic staff who care for them.”
The ministry noted that before North York General Hospital took over the home, staff from the Scarborough Health Network started providing infection prevention control and clinical support on Dec. 9, the day after the outbreak was declared.
However, a ministry inspection conducted last week found “inconsistent” infection prevention and control practices at the home.
- with files from CTV News Toronto's Beth Macdonell
