Tough choices could be ahead as case found in province, top doc says
REGINA Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer is confident the province’s first presumptive case of COVID-19 has been contained, though he warned it’s unlikely to be the last and urged the public to prepare for “tough decisions.”
Dr. Saqib Shahab confirmed on Thursday that Saskatchewan has its first presumptive case of the respiratory illness, which was declared a pandemic on Wednesday. There were 138 cases in Canada as of Thursday afternoon.
The Saskatchewan patient, who is in his or her 60s, arrived from Egypt on March 6.
Shahab revealed little personal information, but said the person was tested at a primary-care setting in Saskatoon on March 9 after developing symptoms. The test came back positive late Wednesday, and was sent to Winnipeg for final confirmation.
According to Shahab, the patient is well enough to self-isolate and only had close contact with one other person within the home.
“That person is also being monitored by public health and, if they develop symptoms, they will be tested,” Shahab said.
“We are confident, in this case, it has been contained,” he added.
Public health is still reviewing the case “in extreme detail,” Shahab said.
That means following up to make sure there weren’t any additional contacts, and confirming whether there were any symptoms during travel.
Shahab had no conclusive information on whether the patient visited any Saskatchewan communities outside Saskatoon, but believed it was unlikely.
He said “all options are being considered” to facilitate testing for Saskatchewan people who show symptoms of COVID-19. That could include setting up assessment centres in larger communities.
Beyond the one positive, so far there have been 285 tests performed in Saskatchewan, with 263 negative results and 22 results still pending. Shahab acknowledged it’s likely most people will contract the virus that causes COVID -19 sooner or later, in light of federal estimates that somewhere between 30 and 70 per cent of Canadians will become infected. He said the aim is to slow down exposures so they don’t happen all at once.
“That will put tremendous strain on the health-care system,” Shahab said.
He expects most new cases to be connected to travel. But if the virus begins spreading within Saskatchewan communities, slowing transmission may call for more drastic measures.
“If and when the time comes, we need to be able to take some tough decisions, which means everyone in a particular area with community transmission, you need to stay home unless you’re providing essential services,” Shahab said.
“Those are very significant decisions. Those will not be taken lightly ... that requires significant societal interventions, which we all need to accept.”
Health Minister Jim Reiter said Saskatchewan is now in “uncharted territory.” But he promised that Shahab and other health officials will have “whatever resources they deem necessary” to face the challenge.
“The expectation was that sooner or later we were going to have a case, and likely more cases, so they’ve been working diligently on that,” Reiter said.
Shahab had two central messages for the public. He asked residents to seek testing if they develop symptoms and to help prevent transmission by maintaining “social distance.”
As of now, travellers are only being asked to self-isolate if they arrive from COVID-19 hot spots such as Iran, China and Italy. Shahab pointed to the need to balance risk with inconvenience to travellers. He said other travellers should monitor themselves for symptoms for two weeks, as should those who attend large events such as conferences. “At the first sign of fever or cough, self-isolate, don’t go to school, university or work, call Healthline,” he said.
Saskatchewan’s Healthline, 811, was tied up on Thursday with calls. Shahab said wait times could be as long as 20 minutes.
He attributed the backlog to callers using the line to seek general information.
Shahab said that’s inappropriate. Healthline should be used by those who have symptoms, he said, while others should access the website saskatchewan.ca/ coronavirus.
Reiter said he’s asked officials for an “action plan” to ensure timely access to the Healthline.