The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working to deal with the rapidly escalating numbers of COVID-19 in the province, and the pressures it is putting on the health care system. 

“We have hit a critical point, and are now on the verge of the largest test our health care system has faced since this pandemic began,” said SHA’s CEO Scott Livingstone. “Teams are being asked to support the health care system’s ability to maintain services to those at greatest risk while ensuring the SHA can support testing and contact tracing to help slow the spread of COVID-19.” 

The SHA’s Emergency Operations Centre directed leaders Friday to activate a second phase of surge plans, which includes a temporary slowdown of elective procedures across the province. The directive asks for a focus on COVID care in the hospitals while continuing emergency and cancer procedures and treatments, as well as cases deemed urgent. 

Staff is being deployed to areas that have been facing urgent and emergent care demands in recent weeks. Teams are also expected to work provincially to implement what is called “load levelling” processes within all acute care and ICU sites in the province. 

There will be an increase in ICU beds from 79 to 175 to accommodate up to 125 COVID patients requiring care in an ICU, with another 50 beds for non-COVID-19 patients. The hospital capacity across the province will also be increased to handle up to 350 COVID non-ICU patients. There will be staff deployment to support case investigation requirements for up to 750 new lab-confirmed cases a day, and efforts will be made to ramp up testing efforts, so there is no more than a 24-hour wait for a test within a test centre, and no more than 90 minutes waiting time in a drive-thru testing site. 

Services for mental health and addictions, as well as childhood immunizations for those under the age of two, will be maintained at current levels. 

During a press conference announcing these measures Friday, Dr. Susan Shaw, chief medical officer for the SHA, said the intensive care units in the province are strained, with just five beds available in the entire province. 

“Right now, we are not in usual conditions,” Dr. Shaw explained. “We have 50 patients in the intensive care unit with COVID. That is 50 people who have, for the most part, a preventable disease and without them, we would be in a very different place.” There are also 26 people in the province who are in ICU with non-COVID-related concerns.