SHA experts address the media Saturday.(Submitted photo/Amanda Purcell)

By Ian Gustafson

Sask COVID-19 update

Prince Albert will have COVID-19 testing from Monday: SHA specialists offer update

Mar 14, 2020 | 7:00 PM

A testing centre for COVID-19 will open in Prince Albert on Monday. Like the other two that are open in this province – in Saskatoon and Regina – it will be for referrals only and not for walk-in testing.

Sask COVID-19 cases increase to six

The announcement came before a Saturday evening update from the province confirming four new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 having been identified in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of cases in the province to six.

One resident, a health care worker in their 30s, has a recent history of travel to Nigeria and Germany, as well as Alberta. The individual is recovering in northern Saskatchewan.

Two presumptive cases are in their 40s and live in the same household in Regina. One recently travelled to Vancouver for a dental conference at which an attendee was later confirmed to have COVID-19. The two Saskatchewan residents were tested March 13 and are self-isolating while they recover.

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The fourth new case is an individual in their 20s with a history of travel to Tennessee, U.S., who was tested in Regina and is now self-isolating and recovering in their home community.

P.A. COVID-19 testing

As for the testing centre in Prince Albert, patients who fit criteria of potential exposure to the novel coronavirus, exhibiting mild symptoms and suspect they may have COVID-19, can obtain a referral to the community testing centre by phoning their family physician, HealthLine 811 or their local Public Health Communicable Disease Control office.

This was some of the updated info given by members of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) at a media conference on Saturday in Saskatoon.

SHA Senior Medical Health Officer, Dr. Julie Kryzanowski, SHA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Shaw, SHA Site Command Lead for Emergency Operations Centre, Derek Miller and Vice President, Community Engagement and Communications Kim McKechney took questions from the media at the Nurses Administrative Wing in Saskatoon.

Starting on Friday the SHA opened two testing centres in Saskatoon and Regina, and Prince Albert’s will be next.

Miller said they are not disclosing the locations of these centres for patient privacy.

Dr. Shaw said once a person is tested they need only wait one to two days to get their results.

“Which is quite impressive,” he said.

Miller was asked if there were any plans to implement additional testing locations in the northern part of the province such as La Ronge or further north.

“The leaders that are responsible for the northern locations they are assessing what there needs are in terms of testing,” he said. “So that’s something they are examining right now and looking at different options to ensure that they are able to provide that service.”

Shaw said since October of 2019 the SHA and the Ministry of Health have been updating what is their pandemic plan.

“These plans outline what we do in a pre-pandemic, in a pandemic and a post pandemic situation. What occurred over the last two months is a shift from a hypothetical scenario to an actual pandemic.” He added the preparations are similar to what they’ve done in the past with other viruses such as Ebola.

Shaw said this time they have the benefit of a single health authority.

Dr. Kryzanowski said to date two people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the province and neither have required hospitalization.

“Both have travelled outside of Saskatchewan before becoming ill. There is no evidence of community transmission in Saskatchewan at this time,” Kryzanowski said, adding people can protect themselves by practicing good hygiene such as washing hands frequently and avoid touching hands to face.

In a separate development Saturday, NITHA confirmed a presumptive case of COVID-19 in Southend.

She also said it was important to keep social distancing. For example, if someone is self-isolating, and someone is delivering something to that person to leave it at their doorstep rather than going inside.

Miller said they put in a bulk order for personal protective equipment to ensure there isn’t any shortages in hospitals such as mask and gowns.

“We typically order around 230,000 procedural masks across the health authority and we put in an order to account for six months’ worth so were about 1.4 million masks,” Miller said. “That order has been placed but it is being prioritized again; globally there is a lot of demand for this kind of supplies,.”

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ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12