Ontario Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton is speaking after the province's COVID-19 Long-Term Care Commission released its report last week.
The commission report claims that her ministry didn't have a plan in place to properly protect residents from the pandemic, resulting in the deaths of about 4,000 people in long-term care homes.
It also says that the sector wasn't properly prepared for a pandemic, blaming a lack of protective equipment and adequate testing, along with cohorting of infected and non-infected residents.
Fullerton says the government did its best to respond quickly, but the virus was moving faster.
Between March 2020 and this month, over 3,900 long-term care home residents with confirmed or probably cases died.
The report found in the early months, residents often had to receive test results in the mail days after outbreaks occurred.
Fullerton didn't issue an apology for the deaths, noting that her ministry has taken actions such as doubling the number of personal support workers graduating this year.
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