Sask. top doctor not ruling out further restrictions, despite plateauing COVID-19 cases
Despite plateauing COVID-19 case numbers, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer said the province is far from clearing the fourth wave.
As of Friday, Saskatchewan’s seven-day average for daily new cases is 380, the lowest it has been in more than one month.
“Even if we are plateauing, we are plateauing at a very high level and that is still generating fairly high rates of hospitalization and ICU admissions,” Dr. Shahab said, adding he is cautiously monitoring the numbers.
“The whole province right now is seeing high transmission rates.”
During a teleconference Friday morning, Dr. Shahab said test positivity is at 12 per cent, although it is slightly lower in Regina and the south central region.
On Friday, 339 people were in hospital due to COVID-19, seventy-eight of those people are receiving intensive care.
According to Dr. Shahab, case numbers could spike following Thanksgiving weekend, as well as when we enter the winter months.
If that happens, he said he will be recommending further measures based on case numbers.
“There are still some tremendous pressures on the acute care system and those are not going to come down quickly,” he said.
Shahab added that people need to continue to follow public health orders as well as voluntary practices.
“We need to all get our flu shots as well because we don’t want that putting a pressure on the healthcare system either.”
He recommends being cautious when it comes to public gatherings, keep a safe distance, and if you’re not feeling well, get tested and stay home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.