Quebec is launching a vast screening operation with 48,000 CHSLD workers, in order to assess the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus among staff.
“The operation is planned to use approximately 4,000 tests a day,” said an internal note from the Ministry of Health obtained by Le Journal.
The first phase of the operation, which began on Thursday, targets all CHSLDs in Quebec, whether they are public, private agreement or private non-agreement. And regardless of their type of work, all employees will be tested, the ministry said.
Screening tests will also be carried out at the Philippe Pinel Forensic Psychiatry Institute and in rehabilitation units.
“An outbreak of COVID-19 [dans ces établissements] would have very negative effects on the supply of services, “the note said.
From June, the operation will continue with tests in intermediate resources as well as family-type resources. There will then be a third phase which “will target other circles”, it said without further details.
In the note, the ministry stresses that all these tests will take place “in parallel with other screening activities” and that in the event of an outbreak in a center, the protocol already in place must continue.
“We therefore expect to have in the coming weeks a full report on the presence of COVID-19 among workers in these environments,” said the ministry.
Each person tested positive will undergo an epidemiological investigation and those who have come into contact with these workers could also be tested.
As of Thursday, in Quebec, 40,724 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, while 3,351 patients have died. Of these, a large part resided in CHSLDs, which were badly affected by the pandemic.
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