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Saskatchewan residents are about to get more information from authorities regarding the province’s plans to combat COVID-19.
During a conference call with reporters Thursday, Premier Scott Moe said he was going to follow the lead of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and provide the public with details about models being done to predict the potential spread of the virus.
“The more information that we are able to provide to the people of Saskatchewan, the better informed that we will all be as our province works to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Moe said.
That’s why he instructed the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to hold a briefing early next week that tells residents of the province about projections for the spread of the virus and the steps the health system is taking to prepare for what Moe called “surges” in the numbers of cases.
On March 24, a leaked SHA document contained a model that featured a worst-case scenario. Moe suggested any new models also will feature wildly divergent findings because of all the variables that could be at play.
“Our health system will plan for larger numbers of patients and how they will be prepared to deal with the potential massive surge of cases and hospitalizations,” Moe said on the same day the province announced 13 new cases, bringing the total to date to 206. “We will be prepared for that.
“At the same time, the rest of us need to keep doing everything possible to ensure that that is not the case, that we keep the numbers as low and as manageable as possible. We owe it to our health-care workers and we owe it to one another. What we are doing so far is working but that will change if we let our guard down too soon.”
Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, once again stressed the importance of physical distancing, hand-washing and limiting the size of gatherings.
The hope is those kinds of measures can keep the number of cases under control.
There have been three deaths in the province so far; the third death was announced Wednesday.
As of Thursday, 36 people have been declared recovered, up six from Wednesday’s total.
Four people are in hospital, including two receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon. There now are two ICU cases, with one each in Regina and Saskatoon.
Of the 206 cases, 96 are travellers, 44 are community contacts (including mass gatherings) and 10 don’t have any known exposures. As well, 56 cases are under investigation by local public health officials.
Of the total, 103 cases are from the Saskatoon area, 44 are from the Regina area, 38 are from the northern area of the province, nine are from the central region, nine are from the south and three are from the far north.
Ninety-three of the province’s cases are in the 20-to-44 age range, 74 are between the ages of 45 and 64, 33 are 65 and over, and six are aged 19 and under.
There have been 11,395 COVID-19 tests done in the province to date, including 4,818 in Saskatoon, 2,947 in Regina and 1,492 in the north.
“Low numbers of new cases alongside high numbers of tests means that our efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 … are working,” Moe said, “and it serves as an encouragement for each of us in this province to remain diligent in our individual efforts.”
Shahab said there haven’t been any cases recorded yet in long-term care facilities, but he confirmed there have been cases in which health-care workers have been infected.
That included four cases where a person being treated for symptoms didn’t tell health-care workers that he or she had the virus. That prompted Shahab to remind people to call ahead if they’re seeking care so that health-care providers can don personal protection equipment (PPE).
That equipment was among the topics discussed by Moe and his fellow premiers during a conference call earlier Thursday. It also was to be on the agenda when the premiers held a conference call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland later in the day.
“Canada’s premiers remain committed to working together as we all fight the spread of COVID-19 and we will be taking a message of collaboration to the prime minister and to the deputy prime minister,” Moe said.
The premier said he also planned to raise with the prime minister the economy of the nation and getting infrastructure dollars flowing from the federal government to the provinces. Moe also was eager to hear further details about the federal government’s programs for employers and employees as well as its plans to support the energy industry.
Information available
The government issued a media release laying out the pathways residents can use to get information as the pandemic continues.
HealthLine 811 had troubles initially due to the high volume of calls, but changes were made March 17 to improve the service.
The system that previously was able to handle 32 concurrent calls now can handle more than 900 calls at a time, with further expansion possible. There’s also a callback feature for residents who don’t want to wait on the line.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s toll-free line (1-855-559-5502) is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That line is designed to answer non-health-specific questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also can take calls regarding violations of the public health orders issued by the government.
The government’s COVID-19 website has been visited more than four million times since its launch. As well, the SHA’s COVID-19 self-assessment tool has been accessed more than 350,000 times in March alone.
Residents also can email the government at COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca to ask questions. The government has answered more than 4,200 email inquiries since March 15.
Cabin season
As the weather continues to get warmer, some people may decide to isolate themselves at a cabin or lake house.
There may be fewer than 10 people at the cabin, but Moe and Shahab are warning against it.
“At this point, we do want to limit unnecessary travel between households, but also between communities as well,” said Shahab.
Shahab said that, as time passes and if the curve remains relatively flat, then those recommendations may be relaxed, but not now.
Moe urged caution in moving around the province for any reason, saying it could “unduly and unintentionally” spread the virus around the province.
“Unless it is absolutely necessary for you to be travelling from one community to another community, we would ask that you lay low for the time being,” Moe said. “Lay low for the health and betterment of all of those in our community, in particular those that may be vulnerable to COVID-19.”