The current picture of how the southeast area looks for COVID-19 cases and vaccination rates shows the need is greatest here for vaccine rates to improve, the board of trustees for the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division heard in a presentation by the local medical health officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Dr. Stanley Enebeli, the medical health officer for the Sun Country region of the SHA, along with Trevor Tessier of the SHA, provided current data on the COVID cases and vaccination rates, and took questions from trustees on what is happening.
The information was provided just before the board passed its motion to require employees to either prove they have been vaccinated, or to have a negative COVID test done on a regular basis.
Noting that the province is in its fourth wave of COVID, as of Oct. 8 Saskatchewan had the highest case rates in the country, and the highest mortality rate, said Dr. Enebeli.
Coupled with this is the fact that the 12-18 age group has the highest case rates, and the lowest vaccination rates of eligible age levels in the province.
Measuring how many residents in the 12-18 category are fully vaccinated as of Oct. 12, 60.2 per cent province-wide are vaccinated, with 55 per cent of residents in the Weyburn area and 49 per cent in the Estevan area. By comparison, for the entire province and all age groups, 77 per cent of the province is fully vaccinated, and the southeast region, while only 56 per cent in the age groups from 12 to 29 are.
“We still have some work to do in bridging the gap for school-aged kids,” said Dr. Enebeli, adding the SHA would like to see the province reach 85 to 90 per cent of all residents being fully vaccinated in order to see the COVID case numbers come down to a level that the system can handle.
Statistics for both the U.S. and Canada currently show that new COVID cases are 10 times higher for unvaccinated than vaccinated people, and the rate of hospitalization is 36 times higher for the unvaccinated.
Board chair Bruno Tuchscherer asked Dr. Enebeli if there will be another wave after this one, or if it will be all over with.
“That’s a very good question,” answered the doctor, noting the problem is COVID is always evolving . “We can’t say for sure how the virus will mutate. … We just need to prepare in the best way we can.”
Asked how long it will be before younger children can be vaccinated, Dr. Enebeli said it will depend on the approval process with Health Canada, but those aged five to 11 may be vaccinated by mid-December or so.
Weyburn trustee Rocky Sidloski asked if the vaccine evolves as the virus evolves. The doctor replied the vaccines have been shown to be effective still, even against the variants that have developed, like the Delta variant.
Commenting on the impacts on the health care system, Tessier noted that the ICU capacity was nearing its peak, and some patients are being transferred down to Weyburn and Estevan hospitals to help out the hospitals in Regina. There is also a move of staff from the rural facilities to the bigger ones to help out.
The transfer of patients to Weyburn and Estevan will also mean some programs and services have to be put on hold, such as the foot care program, and only emergent procedures will be done, said Tessier. (Since the board meeting, word came on Monday that six ICU patients are now being sent to Ontario to be cared for.)
“That’s what’s occurring today in Weyburn. We’re having patients coming here from Regina. … We have a lot of front-line health care workers who are providing excellent care. We’re tapped out as a system, but what comes are further slow-downs and diverting of resources to care facilities,” he said.
Dr. Enebeli added that acute care is very close to being overwhelmed, and added, “The health care system is under imminent threat.”
