Outbreak on Hutterite colonies behind COVID spike in province

Saskatchewan has 15 new COVID -19 cases, including 14 linked to an outbreak in two Hutterite communities in the southeast of the province.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) declared an outbreak on Wednesday night in the Rural Municipality of Maple Creek, which surrounds the town of Maple Creek and extends to the Alberta border.

During the province’s daily pandemic briefing on Thursday, chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab defended the decision to specify the Hutterite communities in the RM as the source of the outbreak.

“Certainly, this is always a balance,” Shahab said.

“But whenever there’s an outbreak there’s a need to be public with that.”

Google Maps shows four Hutterite colonies located with the RM of Maple Creek, but the SHA did not name the communities involved. Two people living in a rural household tested positive for COVID-19 last week; that was followed on Wednesday by 14 more confirmed cases.

Shahab said the outbreak involves Hutterite colonies in both Saskatchewan and Alberta, where travel between communities is frequent. He said the investigation is ongoing. Medical health staff are working with their counterparts in Alberta on the outbreak, he added.

“COVID -19 does not respect any borders,” Shahab said.

He could not provide any more information about the outbreak, despite questions from journalists, but said information would be shared as it becomes available. Shahab encouraged anyone experiencing symptoms in the Maple Creek area to get tested.

An interactive map on the government of Alberta website on Thursday showed no active cases in any of the counties or rural districts close to the Saskatchewan border.

Unlike Saskatchewan, Alberta provides specific information on the location of COVID-19 cases.

The new cases on Thursday bumped the total diagnosed COVID -19 cases in Saskatchewan to 708 and active cases climbed to 59, the highest number since the end of May. The other case announced Thursday was located in the far north region, where active cases rose to 28.

Active cases in the south region, a vast area spanning both provincial borders, jumped to 15. Active cases in Saskatoon stayed at 13.

The SHA also reached out Thursday to those who have contracted COVID-19 and recovered, asking them to consider donating their blood plasma for a study on antibodies.

The plasma of people who have recovered is being tested to see if an antibody treatment can be produced for people suffering with the respiratory disease.

Potential donors must have been diagnosed with a laboratory test, be completely recovered with no symptoms for 28 days and be 67 years old or younger. Plasma donations can be made at Canadian Blood Services in Regina or Saskatoon.