Omicron: Sask. doctors told to brace for 'toughest' COVID-19 wave yet
The Saskatchewan Health Authority expects an overwhelming acute care surge due to the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
"Current state is an emergency. Public health currently overwhelmed and acute care will be soon," according to a slide presentation by Medical Health Officer Dr. Johnmark Opondo at a virtual physician's town hall event on Thursday.
The presentation said the disease is "circulating widely and everyone is at risk."
Saskatchewan's daily case counts are high due to the highly transmissible Omicron strain; both provincial and Public Health Agency of Canada modelling suggest sheer volumes will push hospitalization to extremely high levels, the presentation said.
Saskatchewan has the second-highest case rate among the provinces, though with fewer people receiving PCR tests and with those who are testing more likely to be infected, it's difficult to interpret case rates, he said.
Surveillance efforts are challenged and most likely the picture is worse than what the figures show, the presentation said.
"Public health teams are currently drowning; acute care hospitalizations are rising. Perfect storm of population mixing, low immunization coverage, high background transmission rates, human resource exhaustion."
Long-term care cases are around seven times higher this week compared to last week and outbreaks in long-term and personal care homes are at their highest levels to date, with high staff unplanned absence.
"All health sector actors are encouraged to adopt a proactive response stance as we plan for an unprecedented case surge, accompanied with staffing challenges," the presentation said, predicting the "toughest wave in Saskatchewan yet."
Opondo's presentation said people shouldn't mix and socialize broadly, even if they can. Most cases will be undiagnosed and everyone is at risk for infection, he said.
He also noted that Omicron re-infects; being infected in 2021 doesn’t protect someone in 2022. Omicron is a disease that requires three doses of vaccine - but so far only 47 per cent of Saskatchewan adults have had their booster, according to the presentation.
COVID-19 incidence rates in the vaccinated and unvaccinated are similar, but COVID-19 hospitalization rates are higher in the unvaccinated compared to the vaccinated, the presentation said.
In a later presentation, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Froh said patient care is currently "challenged" with minimal service disruption.
However, under a slide titled "Omicron Rising," he said non-ICU cases will exceed all prior peaks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"ICU cases rapidly rising. Current slope of exponential increase in hospital census is not sustainable," the slide said.
"Under current restrictions, Omicron will dangerously strain our acute care system. Left further unchecked Omicron will overwhelm it."
It’s something Dr. Dennis Kendel, a physician and public health consultant, said isn't being reflected in the province’s latest restrictions.
“It just struck me that it’s so discordant with the message that we heard from the Minister of Health the previous day which more or less leads people to believe we’re sort of exiting from this whole process, it’s on the downslope and that is not true.”
Effective Friday, the province loosened isolation rules so that all cases must only isolate for five days regardless of vaccination status and close contacts no longer have to isolate.
In addition, parents and caregivers are no longer required to report COVID-19 cases in kids to schools.
"This revision to the public health order supports a self-management approach to COVID-19," the province said in the update.
"Changes that support a self-management approach need to balance any risk of community transmission with continuity for families, individuals and businesses. By reducing the burden of self-isolation for cases and contacts, it is expected to increase adherence to public health orders."
Kendel said the provincial government needs to be more proactive and not just rely on hospitalization numbers as an indicator for where cases are going.
“When you have the experts telling you that looking ahead is scary because we may not have enough capacity, government should be listening to that and not diminishing our public health measures like shortening isolation periods.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.