Montreal Chinese Hospital honoured for keeping COVID-19 at bay with early pandemic response

Back in March of 2020, Tim Chan was preparing to weather a storm that never came.

A resident at the Montreal Chinese Hospital, a long-term care home located near Chinatown that caters to clients of Asian heritage, he feared the worst during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which nearly 4,000 residents in CHSLDs across Quebec died. 

"I feel really nervous the first time," Chan, 96, said.

But due to early intervention and a collective effort from staff, the home managed to keep the virus out of its walls entirely, reporting zero cases during the first wave of the pandemic.

Now, more than a year and a half into the pandemic, the CHSLD has recorded only four COVID-19 cases, no outbreaks, and a single death.

The home's efforts were praised by Quebec coroner Géhane Kamel earlier this month at the inquiry into deaths in Quebec's long-term care homes in the spring of 2020. Kamel called the Chinese Hospital an "extraordinary success story."

Now, employees and management have been awarded the Medal of the National Assembly in recognition of their "determination and dedication to taking care of our elders," the bronze medal reads. 

"They did a good job very fast, so the government gave an award for this," Chan said, smiling.

Sandra Lavoie, the director of the CHSLD, says their success is due to the rapid response of staff to the virus — and to how serious they were about precautionary measures.

She says that because most of her staff and residents had connections to Asia, they were aware of COVID-19 earlier than many other Quebecers.

"Our employees were very sensitive to the virus since they have family and friends in China," she said. "So it's like if they were seeing what would be coming here in Quebec and in Canada, four to six weeks ahead."

In January 2020, weeks before COVID-19 was widely known and before it was present in Quebec, employees at the 128-bed long-term care facility were already voluntarily bringing in their own personal protective equipment and upping their handwashing.

Ponora Ang, president of the Montreal Chinese Hospital Foundation, said the threat of COVID-19 was very real for staff at the home in the early months. 

"It was not just an article in the press saying that it was a pandemic. They had families there, they knew over people there," he said.