Saskatchewan doctor preparing for ‘misery winter’ | The Canadian News

Saskatchewan’s director of medical health says patient triage is a “tragedy of our time.”

During a briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Saqib Shahab said elective and urgent surgeries are being delayed as resources and staff are reallocated to COVID-19 hospital wards.

“We have a billion dollar health care system, one of the best … in the world that cannot do what it was designed to do because it is dealing with a preventable problem with vaccines,” Shahab said.

“It is a tragedy of our time, that being in a very privileged society, we are facing this dilemma.”

Saskatchewan has the highest case rate and death rate among all provinces, while having the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

Data compiled by Health Canada shows that Saskatchewan residents are four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people in any other province except Alberta.

The province’s vaccination test program begins on Friday. The government has pledged to carry out more tests in the hope that they will help decrease the number of cases and serious illnesses caused by the virus.

Health Minister Paul Merriman said he has reached out to his counterparts in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario to explore the possibility of sending COVID-19 patients there or using some of their healthcare workers. Merriman said Alberta does not have the ability to help at this time.

Saskatchewan is working with Alberta to obtain another supply of monoclonal antibody treatments from the federal government, Merriman said. Prime Minister Scott Moe is working with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the request.

Monoclonal antibodies are made in a laboratory and can help restore, enhance, or mimic the immune system.

“If this helps us get 10 to 20 people out of our inpatient system, and some out of our ICU, it is certainly worth the investment,” Merriman said.

The health minister said the Saskatchewan Party government will not introduce additional public health measures to those already in place: an internal masking order and the requirement for self-isolation after a positive test.

“Public health measures are extremely important, but that is not going to bring us to the end of this pandemic. Vaccines are, ”Merriman said.

“If (people) decide not to get vaccinated and continue down that path, it will be difficult times.”

Since Saskatchewan announced the requirement for proof of vaccination, vaccination rates have risen about one percent per week, up from 0.5 percent per week in previous months, Shahab said. Approximately 72 percent of Saskatchewan’s eligible population is fully vaccinated.

Shahab said that at that rate, cases will stabilize and the fourth wave will take a long time to subside.

“Not only will we not have Thanksgiving at this rate, we probably won’t have Christmas or New Years at this rate. It will be a fall and winter of misery, ”Shahab said.

Saskatchewan reported 394 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Three more people died from the infection.

With nearly 300 people hospitalized with the virus, COVID-19 hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units have nearly tripled in August.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is increasing its bed capacity, but says crews are facing pressure to maintain bed space.

“We are reaching a point where, unless we see an increase in vaccination rates and compliance with current public health measures that result in a significant decrease in the number of cases over the next two to four weeks, it is leading us into an untenable situation right now, ”said Shahab.

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