Provincially, the number of new cases of COVID-19 appears to be leveling off at a rather low number.
But, that doesn’t mean numbers can’t increase.
If that were to happen locally, Ross Fisher, Executive Director with The Health Foundation of East Central Saskatchewan says the local hospital is well-prepared.
“We’re a COVID hospital,” he said, adding that means it has been designated as a facility to deal with cases. The list of designated hospitals include those in Regina, Saskatoon, and most regional facilities.
With the designation at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre has come additional training for staff, said Fisher.
“It’s training for best-procedures when we get the surge,” he said. “Everybody is trained on proper procedures. They’ve been training and waiting.”
In addition, patients at the hospital who could be moved out have been.
“They’ve moved patients from the hospital to alternate hospitals,” said Fisher, adding in the east central area there are hospitals in Melville, Esterhazy, Canora and Kamsack.
As for beds, and respirators, Fisher said they have both ready.
The intensive care unit at the hospital has six beds which allows for isolation.
And a nearby ward has another six beds that can be used for COVID-19 patients if needed thanks to recently added monitoring equipment that allows a patient’s vitals to be checked from a monitoring station.
The telemetry monitors are a purchase by the Health Foundation through community donations, added Fisher.
Beds can be used in emergency if the situation called for it as well, said Fisher.
Fisher also pointed out not every person hospitalized with COVID-19 requires intensive care, only those requiring oxygen are placed in ICU beds.
Needing oxygen means requiring a respirator. The Yorkton hospital has had six respirators, and six more were ordered prior to the current COVID-19 situation.
“We had six on order,” said Fisher, adding they are anticipated to arrive any day.
