‘I was devastated’: Roberta Place PSW reflects on past year and COVID-19 recovery

This time last year, a devastating COVID-19 outbreak ripped through Roberta Place long-term care home in Barrie.

The outbreak infected more than 200 people and claimed 71 lives.

Edwin Ng was a personal support worker in the home for 18 years and tested positive in mid-January last year.

“ I was surprised that I got that sick because I was one of the healthiest at my workplace,"  Ng said via zoom on Saturday.

Ng recalls getting the test results back, and over the following days, his health quickly deteriorating.

“I told my wife I can’t breathe. I’m having difficulty, and she said your colour is changing,” Ng said.

Ng was soon rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, where he stayed for treatment before being moved to a Toronto-area hospital.

While there, he was hooked up to a ventilator and an artificial lung for about four months. Ng said he doesn’t remember anything from that time.

In May, when Ng was able to communicate again, he was told that 71 of the residents at Roberta Place passed away.

“I was devastated,” Ng said.

This anniversary comes as the highly infectious omicron variant spreads in Ontario, reminding many long-term care advocates of the devastation that came in previous waves.

Maureen McDermott said her mother caught COVID-19 while living in a long-term care home in 2020. She survived, but it sparked McDermott to advocate for safer long-term care environments.

“Seniors are not made for profits. They’re made to live out their golden years with respect and dignity and comfort,” McDermott said.

As cases spiked last month, the province slapped more restrictions on long-term care homes, such as banning access to general visitors and day absences.

Dr. Sohail Gandhi, a medical director for a Collingwood long-term care home, told CTV News that vaccines have been a game-changer.

“We’ve got an outbreak of COVID there, and thankfully the effects seem to be mild this time around because they are vaccinated,” Gandh said..

He said those who aren’t vaccinated are falling severely ill.

Gandhi noted that the restrictions on long-term care homes could be doing more harm to the residents.

“Let’s face it. Those rules have consequences in terms of isolating, in terms of preventing social interaction, increased agitation from residents. We are seeing those effects happen,” Gandhi said.

According to the most recent data from the Ontario government, there are currently 208 COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes and an increase of 22 from the week prior.