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Active COVID-19 cases have increased more than 250% in north Sask.

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SASKATOON -

Active COVID-19 cases in the north half of Saskatchewan have risen more than 250 per cent as the province enters a fourth wave.

As of Aug. 30 there are 954 active cases in the north half of the province, excluding the Saskatoon area, up from 267 active cases on July 30.

Province-wide there are 2,068 active cases, up from the 448 active cases a month prior - a 362 per cent spike.

Chief administrative officer for the town of Macklin, Kim Gartner, said the town is keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation after a local outbreak on Aug. 26.

The town has eight confirmed cases, all in the long term care home, which is on lockdown, Gartner said.

“We’ve always followed the SHA’s guidelines and the Government of Saskatchewan. I anticipate that’s going to be the route we’re going to continue to take,” Gartner said.

“It’s worked fine for us when the pandemic first hit. We do have a pandemic plan and we implemented that, and we will continue to follow protocols.”

Gartner said the town has learned from past experiences during the pandemic, leaving them more prepared for this fourth wave.

“We did have an outbreak at the school during the last school season, so that gave us an introduction on what it is like to be locked down,” Gartner said.

“I think the community embraced that and we made it through that relatively unscathed. Going forward now, I think they’re used to going through that, and they’ve accepted the fact that we may have some additional protocols that may come from the province.”

La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak said the town is in a good place when it comes to COVID numbers.

However, an increase of 65 cases in nearby Stanley Mission is raising some concern.

Ratiushniak said there is no word yet on any new restrictions coming to the town, but businesses are looking at their own restrictions.

Ratiushniak, who is also a medivac pilot, said the burden COVID-19 is putting on the health system is apparent at both his jobs.

“We are scrambling to figure out different routes of where we can take patients because ICUs are full,” Ratiushniak said.

Province-wide there are 111 hospitalized cases of COVID-19, up from the 46 cases a month before; 27 of the 111 hospitalizations are in the ICU.

“The domino effect is happening and it’s real-time as I speak to our health care professionals. These are real-time scenarios that we are going through and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated because that is our only defence at this point,” Ratiushniak said.

Premier Scott Moe said at a press conference held on Monday that the best defence against COVID-19 is vaccines.

“That’s why our government’s goal has been to get as many Saskatchewan residents as possible vaccinated.

“We’ve aggressively promoted the benefits of getting vaccinated, the protection that it not only provides you but provides to those around you.”

There have been more than 780,000 first doses administered and almost 695,000 people in the province are fully vaccinated.

Moe said the “overwhelming majority” of new COVID-19 cases in the province are from unvaccinated people.

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