As Saskatchewan continues to deal with the effects of the fourth wave of COVID-19 that is devastating the healthcare system. the province’s chief medical health officer isn’t feeling optimistic about the future.
With hospitalizations hovering around the 300 mark, Dr. Saqib Shahab says it will take a while for the numbers to come down and as a result, we probably won’t be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s again at the way we are going.
As of Thursday. there were 4,669 active cases in the province with 307 in hospital—72 of those in the ICU, with many not vaccinated.
Shahab says unvaccinated people should avoid indoor household gatherings as that is where 20 percent of cases are coming from.
He added it is very sad to see the healthcare system get to where it is because of those who are unvaccinated saying a simple solution to this crisis is for those who haven’t been vaccinated to get two jabs.
“We’ve got a billion-dollar health-care system, one of the best in the world that is not able to do what it is designed to do because it’s dealing with a vaccine-preventable problem,” Shahab said. “It is a tragedy of our times, that being in a very privileged society, we are facing this dilemma.”
While the healthcare system is reeling right now because of the high cases, provincial health minister Paul Merriman says the system is still intact and those needing medical help should seek it if needed.
Related:
- A record-high 601 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday
- Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests needed on Friday for many locales
