‘It is time to stop asking nicely’: Calls mount for more public health measures

The Canadian Medical Association has some strong language about the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan: “It is time to stop asking nicely.”

CMA president Dr. Katharine Smart says she’s a proud Saskatchewan doctor, but seeing and hearing chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab deliver modelling information Wednesday was both heartbreaking and alarming.

Without additional health measures in place, the modelling scenarios done by the province showed up to 200 COVID ICU patients by early 2022, and up to 20,000 cancelled surgeries. They also showed that nearly half of those who show up at hospitals with symptoms have their first COVID tests either when they’re admitted or shortly after.

Shahab also said the use of vaccines and boosters would still result in “unsustainable increases” and not be enough to protect the acute care system.

“We really want Premier (Scott) Moe to hear clearly that the time has come for him to listen to medical experts and put things in place, like limitations on gathering sizes, to bring this under control in addition to looking at vaccine mandates to increase vaccination rates in the province and to be more open to accepting help from outside the province from places like Ontario,” Smart said.

Smart said there are clearly not enough public health measures in place, and limiting contact between people is critical right now.

“For whatever reason, Premier Moe seems very reticent to put in place any limits in terms of people being able to gather together, and yet we know that is a critical tool to bend the curve at this point. Why he’s so reluctant to actually do what it’s going to take to get things under control is hard to understand,” she said.

Less than a month ago, both the CMA and the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) called on the province to address climbing COVID cases and health-care worker burnout.

SMA president Dr. Eben Strydom echoed the CMA’s calls and said the transfer of patients out of the province is a “clear sign that our health system can’t cope.”

He called it a “full-blown crisis” that will only get worse not only for those who are suffering from COVID but also for others suffering illnesses.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili

During a media conference with reporters Thursday, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili referenced Smart’s comments and a Reuters news article highlighting Saskatchewan’s COVID crisis recently.

He said Moe needs to “get out of the way” to let Shahab make COVID-based health decisions for the province.

“The world is watching … Scott Moe’s decisions to constantly put politics ahead of people’s lives have moved him from being a national embarrassment to an international embarrassment,” said Meili.

The NDP also called for more independence for the the office of the chief medical health officer, for the release of information about Shahab’s recommendations to government officials, and for immediate limits to gathering sizes in both public and private settings.