The Saskatchewan Health Authority is putting more steps in place to continue the fight against COVID-19.
The Government has released dynamic modelling information, which is not predictions of what is to come. The projections instead assess the impact of several scenarios, which allows the Government to look at variables and plan their medical strategy around them.
The data shows what would need to be done in situations ranging from 408,000 cases in the province to 153,000. The information factors in how many cases could be hospitalized, how many people could require intensive care or ventilators, and how many people could pass away from the disease.
Thirty-eight new testing sites will be opening across the province and staff will be tripled for contact tracing efforts to detect and prevent community transmission. In addition, SHA will be phasing in 57 per cent more capacity space to deal with a possible influx of COVID-19 patients.
If necessary, the province has also earmarked 20 hospitals that could strictly be used for meeting COVID-19 clinical needs. They’ve also looked at the possibility of field hospitals in Saskatoon and Regina, however, none of these plans will be implemented now.
Some methods being undertaken now are a slowing of non-essential hospitalizations, which has allowed 43% of hospital beds to be ready for use if needed.
SHA CEO Scott Livingstone says that residents will play the biggest role in avoiding worst-case scenarios, and should continue healthy habits such as handwashing, physical distancing and following self-isolation rules. He says Canadian data is showing hopeful signs, but people cannot get complacent if they hope to further flatten the curve.
As of Wednesday, April 8th, there have been 15 recoveries from COVID-19, 11 new cases and eight hospitalizations. This means there have been 270 reported cases, 165 considered “active” and 103 recoveries.
In the north zone, housing Lloydminster and area there are 22 active cases, 28 recoveries and one hospitalization.