REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is projecting that Regina could see as many as 211 patients in intensive care at a time due to COVID-19 complications, according to projections released Wednesday.
Currently there are 23 patients, including one due to COVID-19, in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Regina. The model projects an additional 188 people in the ICU during the peak of the virus. The SHA says 732 beds could also be needed for acute care patients at the peak of the pandemic in Saskatchewan.
Regina is projected to have an ICU capacity of 410 during this surge and 825 total beds for acute care.
Currently, the city has a capacity for 39 ICU patients and 546 in acute care. The province is planning to have 410 ICU beds and 825 acute care beds available in Regina at the height of the pandemic.
These projections are based off of the mid- to high-range modelling scenarios for the province’s COVID-19 cases.
The SHA is planning for four facilities to accommodate COVID-19 patients at the peak of the pandemic, which includes a field hospital at Evraz Place.
Map from the Saskatchewan Health Authority
Regina General Hospital
The Regina General Hospital is being prepared to accommodate COVID-19 patients and others, in both ICU and acute care scenarios.
Up to 166 ICU or critical care beds could be needed to support COVID-19 patients, along with 33 ICU beds for other patients; 198 beds, plus 11 for cardiac monitoring, are also planned to be used for acute care COVID-19 patients, with 41 set aside for non-COVID care.
Pasqua Hospital
The Pasqua Hospital will also have a mix of patients in its ICU and acute care areas.
The province is planning to have 193 beds available for COVID-19 ICU patients, 18 ICU beds for non-COVID patients, along with 95 acute care beds for COVID patients and 41 for others.
Wascana Rehabilitation Centre
The province plans to open up 80 beds at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre to ease the load on Regina’s hospitals at the peak of the pandemic.
These 80 beds will be available for non-COVID patients in needing acute care.
Field Hospital at Evraz Place
With an increase in capacity expected at Saskatchewan hospitals, the Government will also be setting up a field hospital at Evraz place top accommodate acute care patients.
Health Authority's plans for field hospitals have been approved, and the province says it’s working closely with Evraz Place to determine what spaces have to offer.
Currently, the International Trade Centre and the soccer centre are being considered for field hospitals.
Shelia Anderson, Incident Commander for IHICC Regina said the goal is to set up field hospitals and never have to use them. She said it’s too early to determine what types of patients would be treated in field hospitals.
They continue to work on securing supplies such as beds, and say there’s no reason to believe Regina will not receive the supplies needed.
Once up and running, the field hospital will fit 200 beds for COVID care, and 200 for non-COVID patients.
Patients in these facilities will isolated in cohorts by unit and floor to separate COVID-19 patients from other hospital patients.
These four facilities will account for 359 beds in ICU and 493 beds in acute care for COVID-198 patients, and 51 ICU beds and 332 acute care beds for non-COVID care.
The government’s high-range models show 4,265 patients in hospital across the province at the peak of the pandemic, including 1,280 patients in the ICU with 90 to 95 per cent needing respirators.
The government noted that these projections are fluid, and can change depending on how the virus continues to progress across Canada and the world.
