Modelling shows risk of Saskatchewan hospitals overwhelmed without new measures
REGINA - In light of new modelling presented by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC), Official Opposition Leader Ryan Meili called on the Sask. Party government to act on advice from medical experts and proactively implement gathering and capacity limits to protect Saskatchewan people from the Omicron variant.
“Saskatchewan still has the highest per capita COVID-19 hospital and ICU admissions among provinces and doctors and health workers are still burnt out,” said Meili. “A choice to do nothing risks further cancellations of surgeries, treatments and therapies. And unlike last time, fellow provinces struggling with Omicron waves won’t be in a position to step in and clean up Scott Moe’s mess.”
Yesterday, Dr. Shahab expressed concerns about large New Years Eve gatherings and recommended smaller bubbles over the holidays. Medical experts echoed concerns, panning the effectiveness of the government’s approach. Even so, Saskatchewan remains the only province to not implement new public health measures in response to the Omicron variant and is the only province without any capacity limits. New data releasedby the PEOC shows that without changing course, Saskatchewan “may hit max ICU capacity quickly without stronger interventions.”
“We know Saskatchewan people want to do their best to keep one another safe, but a fifth wave approach that relies on personal responsibility rather than government leadership risks failing the people of Saskatchewan again,” said Meili. “Scott Moe has the benefit of foresight as he sees what’s happening elsewhere, and hindsight from his own disastrous handling of the fourth wave. Will he learn his lesson and act before it’s too late, or will he once again put politics ahead of people’s lives?”
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