The Saskatchewan Health Authority has declared a multi-jurisdictional community transmitted outbreak. Dr. Khami Chokani, Medical Health Officer, officially declared the outbreak on October 7, 2020.
The outbreak appears to trace back to a series of Full Gospel Outreach events in Prince Albert from September 14th to October 4th. It is being declared an outbreak as it involves numerous individuals with close contacts from multiple areas across the province.
The contact tracing investigation currently involves more than 100 people across the province. For every single positive case of COVID-19, Public Health interviews the case to determine with whom they have had contact during their infectious period.
Due to the large number of positive cases that have been traced to these events, Public Health officials are advising individuals who were at these events on the specified dates to self-isolate immediately and contact 811 for a referral. They should remain on isolation until assessed by their local Public health unit. It is important to note that individuals may develop symptoms from two to 14 days following exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19.
How to avoid getting sick:
Keep at least 2 metres away from others when in public and wear a mask when that’s not possible.
Limit gatherings to the numbers specified in public health orders.
Wash your hands often with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Recognize the symptoms: Stay home if you have symptoms and monitor yourself. Symptoms include: fever, cough, headache, muscle and/or joint aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose, nasal congestion, conjunctivitis, dizziness, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite (difficulty feeding for children), loss of sense of taste or smell, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
COVID-19 is in Saskatchewan: Protect yourself and your family at all times during the pandemic by following all public health recommendations and ensuring you do your part to stop the spread. COVID-19 is transmitted through coughing and sneezing (droplet transmission), and by touching surfaces with the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands. Every day we are learning more about COVID-19 and other ways it may be transmitted.
Get tested: An online self-assessment is available at Saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 to determine if you need to get tested. Testing is universally available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. Please note that in accordance with the latest expert advice on COVID-19, testing for symptomatic people may be delayed until their symptoms have been present for 48 hours to minimize the number of false negative tests. Call HealthLine 811 or your physician for a referral.
Care for yourself and others: Remember, anyone at any age can contract COVID-19, so be kind to each other and follow the recommended practices.
COVID-19 Alert APP: The Health Canada COVID Alert app is available to all Saskatchewan residents at no cost in the Apple and Google Play app store. The app is another tool available to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by letting people know of possible exposures without sharing any personal information. For more information, visit the COVID-19 Apps webpage.
Why issue an alert? When an individual tests positive for COVID-19, a contact investigation immediately follows where public health reaches out to anyone who may be linked to that individual with COVID-19 and provide them with information on testing and self-isolation. If health officials are uncertain that they have identified all known close contacts, they may take further action to notify the community about possible locations where individuals with COVID-19 may have attended while infectious. This is simply about notification to potential contacts, not about the business. Business may also communicate independently to their customers outside of the public health process.
