'Unconscionable': Sask. doctors criticize province for no longer sharing COVID-19 modelling data
A pair of Saskatchewan doctors say the province should share COVID-19 modelling data to help both physicians and residents prepare for what could be coming.
In a physician’s town hall Thursday evening, Dr. Susan Shaw, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s chief medical officer, confirmed the modelling data is available, but is not being widely shared with doctors across the province as per a decision by the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Hassan Masri, an ICU physician in Saskatoon, said the ministry has made a “conscious decision” to withhold the data from health-care workers.
He added the modelling could indicate how long the current fourth wave would last and it could also help physicians consider what personnel are needed in the province’s ICUs as they run over baseline capacity, and how long they might be needed for.
With the current numbers available, Masri estimates the current wave could last eight to 10 weeks – if not into January – unless there’s a dramatic change with the current public health measures.
“I think it is quite disheartening to know that the modelling data is being kept away from the medical community and from the public,” he said.
Masri said modelling can also indicate how people need to change their behaviours to avoid a worst-case scenario.
“We should know what kind of a situation we're in, and how we can get out of it.”
Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine, a University of Saskatchewan epidemiologist, said doctors are unable to put up a full fight against the COVID-19 pandemic when there’s a lack of transparency and communication.
“I think it's really unconscionable. It erodes whatever modicum of trust there is, if there's any trust at all between frontline workers,” Muhajarine said.
“The least the government can do is to level with them, to meet with them where they are, and ask them how the government can help them do their work better.”
CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment, but did not receive a response before the stated deadline.
With files from CTV Regina's Allison Bamford.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.