Sask. has 'highest burden' of COVID-19 in Canada, health authority says
According to data presented during a physicians' town hall, Saskatchewan has the "highest burden" of COVID-19 in Canada.
Thursday evening's virtual Saskatchewan Health Authority town hall event came just hours after Premier Scott Moe announced a series of new measures to help control the spread of COVID-19.
During the event, Medical Health Officer Dr. Johnmark Opondo said Saskatchewan has the highest new daily COVID-19 hospitalization rate in Canada — with Alberta in a close second.
"Sadly to report in the last 14 days … the death rates in Saskatchewan are the second-highest of all the provinces," Opondo said.
Opondo said the province saw its highest test-positivity rate late last week, 11.8 per cent, surpassing the previous record of 8.2 per cent set during the third wave.
The current fourth wave of COVID-19 will probably be "the largest COVID-19 experience" the province has seen so far, Opondo said.
Because the Delta variant is "so transmissible, a vaccination rate of 85 per cent among eligible people over the age of 12 is needed to reach herd immunity, according to Opondo.
"Vaccines alone may not get us where we want to go," Opondo said.
"We need to continue to promote reducing indoor density, maintaining physical distancing, limiting non-essential gatherings and non-essential visits outside the house."
Opondo called the introduction of a masking measure an "important step."
"We are going to continue to encourage people to work from home and we do want to see further policies, some of which were discussed today, which would introduce things like vaccine passports (and) mandatory vaccines for certain worker categories."
Opondo said the policies have been shown to "accelerate" COVID-19 vaccination in other jurisdictions.
If Saskatchewan does not cut transmission and increase vaccine uptake, Opondo said hospital capacity will exceed previous highs reached during the third wave of COVID-19 that battered the province in the spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.