'Assume it is COVID': Self-isolate with even mild, cold-like symptoms, Sask. health official says
A Saskatchewan health official is warning that even a case of the sniffles is a reason to self-isolate.
Speaking during a recent Saskatchewan Health Authority physician's town hall, medical health officer Dr. Johnmark Opondo said even based on limited data, it's obvious "COVID is circulating very widely in Saskatchewan."
"This is a very, very infectious variant of COVID," Opando said while showing a slide that included a bullet point labelled "assume it is COVID."
"We'd like everybody to take any respiratory symptoms, any cold-like symptoms must be taken seriously no matter how mild," Opondo said.
"Your first assumption is it is COVID until proven otherwise and you do need to self isolate, do not go to work."
The medical health officer said a rapid at-home test is a "good first step" and positive result "should be acted on."
Opondo said the more accurate PCR lab testing offered by the SHA is "really oversubscribed — meaning there is not enough testing capacity to meet current demand."
The province is directing residents to self-test using at-home antigen tests if mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic.
"We believe we might only be seeing the tip of the iceberg even from our PCR test reports," Opondo said.
While the province was among the last to start experiencing the current Omicron-fueled fifth wave of COVID-19, Saskatchewan's rate of growth is faster than other provinces, he said.
"Unfortunately when we compare our public health orders across the provinces, generally the trend is provinces that have fewer public health orders seem to show higher rates of Omicron," Opondo said.
"The fact that at Christmas and New Year's, we did have little limitations on gathering limits. All this potentially points to a period of rapid growth of Omicron."
Last week the Government of Saskatchewan extended its existing public health order which requires proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test in certain settings and mandates public mask-wearing.
During a Jan. 12 news conference announcing the extension, Premier Scott Moe said his government does not believe additional measures would be "effective" in preventing the spread of COVID-19, saying people in Saskatchewan should "trust themselves" to make the right decisions.
A day later, it was announced Moe had tested positive for COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
RateMDs violates privacy of health professionals, class-action lawsuit claims
A lawsuit against RateMDs has been given the go-ahead by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who found the claim that the website violates the privacy rights of medical professionals is not 'bound to fail.'
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.