'Stay the course': Sask. physicians hoping province maintains COVID-19 measures to ease potential 5th wave
Saskatchewan’s physicians are encouraging the province to “stay the course” with its current public health measures, as a way to reduce the severity of a fifth wave of COVID-19.
“All the signs and the signals across Canada are looking like, even in Saskatchewan, we’re probably going to experience either a fifth wave or a wavelet of some sort,” Dr. Johnmark Opondo, SHA’s medical health officer and offensive chief for public health, said Thursday.
Doctors are suggesting that the current health measures should be left in place until the spring, based on slides from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) physician town hall on Thursday night.
“I think we learned from experience, suddenly lifting all public health orders simultaneously at once can really have a spring back effect, and even the victories we’ve gained can be quickly lost,” Opondo said.
The physicians suggest there are three main factors that would likely contribute to a fifth wave in Saskatchewan: waning immunity from vaccines, population behaviour including masking and reduced social mixing; and the emergence of the recently discovered Omicron variant.
Opondo said Saskatchewan is in a phase of “enhanced surveillance” when it comes to Omicron, but the variant has yet to be detected in the province.
The province had the sixth highest average daily new case rate per 100,000 population among Canadian provinces, at 43 as of Thursday, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Saskatchewan has the second highest COVID-19 death rate among provinces only behind Manitoba, at an average 2.5 per 100,000 population over the past two weeks.
The SHA has observed a decline in daily case rate in most areas, except for Yorkton, Estevan, Saskatoon, Edam, Kerrobert and Caronport. Virus transmission continues to be seen primarily in households and social gatherings.
“COVID and the Delta wave, things seem to be declining,” Opondo said. “We still do have hotspots in various parts of the province.”
Heading into the holidays, doctors are urging families to consider the health measure already in place.
“In terms of using proof of vaccination as a way to support yourself and your loved ones. Even rapid antigen tests which are largely available in many places, many outlets in the community, use them to really support yourself and your family before you get into family groups,” Opondo said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.