Province records another two dozen COVID-19 cases

Many of the 52 people affected with virus are health care workers

A curling bonspiel in Edmonton last weekend brought some “sobering results,” said Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer as he announced the largest spike to date of COVID-19 in the province.

The province on Saturday announced 17 new confirmed and one new presumptive case of COVID-19. On Sunday, another eight cases were confirmed, bringing the provincial total to 52. Of those cases, 33 are confirmed and 19 are presumptive, with public health officials continuing their contact investigations. To date, 4,536 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Provincial chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab, during a news conference Saturday, said 22 health care workers from Saskatchewan attended the bonspiel in Alberta — and 11 of them from Regina, Saskatoon or Prince Albert have thus far tested positive for COVID -19.

“This is a startling reminder of the risk in gatherings. Even as health care workers, while we take all the precautions at work, we are not immune to this virus in social settings,” Shahab said.

Dr. Allan Woo, president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, said in a letter to members of the SMA that he is among those who tested positive this week.

“The risks of this pandemic are far too real,” he wrote in his letter.

“I hope my personal situation serves as a signal for all healthcare workers, and others, to be vigilant about their health ... Everyone needs to take precautions and self-monitor for any symptoms.”

Three of Saskatchewan’s cases have not yet been linked to any out-of-province or international travel, which the province said may be the result of community transmission. That, Shahab said, is “of great concern.”

If exposure to a travel-related case cannot be found in the coming days, “we will have to confirm that there is community transmission in specific locations in Saskatchewan. As of today we don’t have that information,” he said.

Shahab said anyone with symptoms in a hospital or long-term care facility are being tested, whether they have been exposed to a confirmed case or not.

As of Saturday, there were no cases in any long-term care facilities. Shahab stressed that anyone else who has flu-like symptoms should self-isolate, even if they are not being tested for COVID -19.

For everyone else, Shahab urged people to avoid all gatherings and practice strict social distancing, even something previously as innocent as getting together with a few friends at someone’s house.

“Avoid any gathering where you are passing things among yourselves and do not attend any event where you cannot maintain a two-metre separation, even if it’s under 25 (people),” he said. “This is not the time for potlucks or family events, even.”

All cases in Saskatchewan, with the exception of one in their lateteens that is still under investigation, involve people 20 years or older, according to the province. Of these cases, 62 per cent are male and 38 per cent are female.

The province also announced on the weekend that it can now report all new cases as confirmed instead of presumptive, as the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (RRPL) now has the ability to do confirmatory testing. Being able to confirm test results in-province will reduce the time it takes for test results to get into the hands of physicians and patients, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

It noted the RRPL is processing about 456 COVID -19 tests daily.

Dr. Jessica Minion, a medical microbiologist for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), said the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg put together a test for provincial labs to complete on COVID -19 cases.

The RRPL completed that test successfully, and so the national lab agreed their results no longer need to have that additional confirmation.