Northern Sask. residents asked to restrict non-essential travel
Northern residents are being advised to avoid all non-essential travel out of the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District until the end of February to slow the spread of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s really a concern for us in relation to how this could potentially distort our society and also overwhelm our health system’s capacity,” said Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) Medical Health Officer Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka.
Medical health officers for the Athabasca Health Authority and NITHA say they were prompted by an increase in COVID-19 case numbers.
As of Jan. 20, there are 223 active COVID-19 infections in NITHA communities. Ndubuka says there are an average of 40 new cases per day.
Travel between communities within the district should also be for essential services only.
“Now that Omicron is the dominant strain in the province, we’re seeing a fairly rapid increase in cases,” said Ndubuka.
He says the Omicron variant is highly contagious and easily transmissible. Many of the positive cases are linked to travel outside northern communities to areas in the south, and out-of-province.
He estimates there are actually double the reported cases, due to people who have tested positive with rapid test kits and are self-isolating.
“Plus, the PCR positive results will really double if not more. So we have not seen the peak yet.”
Ndubuka says the fifth wave is “distressing” to the healthcare system because of the high caseload and absenteeism at workplaces.
He encourages people to get three doses of the vaccine, avoid gathering, stay home if they feel ill and test themselves with rapid test kits three times a week.
Among those positive cases in NITHA, 46 per cent are not vaccinated, 29 percent are fully vaccinated, 17 are ineligible for vaccination and eight percent are partially vaccinated.
He says there have been fewer hospital admissions with Omicron and no new patients have been admitted to hospital in the last eight weeks.
So far, 48 people in the NITHA health area have died following COVID-19 infection.
Correction
This article has been updated with the correct number of new daily cases.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.