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Star Exclusive

For-profit nursing homes have four times as many COVID-19 deaths as city-run homes, Star analysis finds

In homes with an outbreak, residents in for-profit facilities are about twice as likely to catch COVID-19 and die than residents in non-profits, and about four times as likely to become infected and die from the virus as those in a municipal home.

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Overall, for-profit homes make up less than 60 per cent of long-term care homes in the province, but they account for 16 of the 20 worst outbreaks.

Residents of for-profit nursing homes in Ontario are far more likely to be infected with COVID-19 and die than those who live in non-profit and municipally-run homes, the Star has found.

A Star analysis of public data on long-term-care homes shows the facilities have been hit by outbreaks at approximately the same rate, regardless of ownership. But once COVID-19 makes it into a nursing home, the outcomes have been far worse for residents of for-profit homes.

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Marco Chown Oved

Marco Chown Oved is a Toronto-based climate change reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: moved@thestar.ca.

Brendan Kennedy

Brendan Kennedy is a reporter on the Toronto Star’s investigative team. Reach him via email: bkennedy@thestar.ca

Kenyon Wallace

Kenyon Wallace is a Toronto-based health reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @KenyonWallace or reach him via email: kwallace@thestar.ca.

Ed Tubb
Ed Tubb

Ed Tubb is an assignment editor and a contributor focused on crime and justice for the Toronto Star. He is based in Toronto.

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