Sask. doc welcomes new COVID-19 rules but says they come as ICUs already pushed 'to the brink'
A Regina physician who has been outspoken on social media during the pandemic calls Saskatchewan's just-announced public health measures a "substantive move" but says they should have come sooner.
"I can't in any way fault the government for anything that they said today, I mean we've been calling for all this for the last number of weeks," Dr. Alexander Wong said.
Fueled by the Delta variant, COVID-19 cases have been climbing for weeks in Saskatchewan, with over 4,000 active cases reported on Thursday.
"I mean obviously we kind of all wish on the healthcare side that it could have been all done sooner and that we could have been more proactive in terms of addressing these issues rather than waiting for our ICU capacity to be pushed, literally to the brink," Wong told CTV News following the province's announcement.
On Thursday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe laid out his government's plans for the coming weeks including an immediate mask mandate and proof of vaccination requirements for people looking to participate in non-essential activities such as dining out at restaurants or attending events.
The proof of vaccination framework is expected to come into effect Oct. 1.
Wong said it will be weeks before the measures will begin to make a dent in the surge in active cases already battering the province's health-care system.
"I'm not saying in any way shape or form that it was deliberate, that anybody wanted things to go wrong, but in the end, I mean, you know, nowhere else in Canada, are we. Nowhere else in Canada are they dealing with this," Wong said.
The infectious disease specialist points to neighbouring Manitoba's decision to introduce a "vaccine passport" system as an example of successful — and earlier — government intervention.
"Why does, you know, Manitoba consistently have an eight to 10 to 12% higher vaccine uptake than we do. It's because they put a certificate program in place," Wong said.
"You know, so the fact that we basically chose deliberately not to put those policy measures in place until basically, we're at the brink, like Alberta, that's a failure of policy in my mind."
With so much data available from other jurisdictions, Wong believes different decisions could have been made.
"To say that we couldn't see all this coming and to say that we couldn't have predicted what was going to happen — I mean everything that happened was very much in plain sight based on what was going to - what was happening in the United States."
Wong said he would have liked to hear "some acknowledgement" that better decisions could have been made.
"The reversal is a tacit admission of that but at the same time to actually hear an apology and to actually hear again a degree of accountability as opposed to, you know, basically saying that this is all the fault of persons who have chosen not to be vaccinated still kind of rubs me a bit the wrong way,' Wong said.
"But in the end, you know, the measures are what matters."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.