Province issues new orders to protect vulnerable population from COVID-19, case total at 307

Of the 307 cases, 133 are travellers, 129 contracted the virus through community contacts, including mass gatherings, 29 have no known exposures and 16 remain under investigation by public health.

Across the province 35 cases are health care workers, although not all contracted the virus from work. There are 147 cases from the Saskatoon area, 69 from the Regina area, 58 from the North, 15 from the South, 10 from the province’s central region and eight from the Far North.

The latest COVID-19 numbers in Saskatchewan. (Aaron Schulze/northeastnow Staff)

There are 23 cases involving people aged 19 years of age and younger. There are 110 cases in the 20 to 39 age range, 105 in the 40 to 59 age range, 62 in the 60 to 79 age range and seven are in the 80-plus range.

With sufficient numbers to protect privacy, the province is reporting on narrower age ranges.

Males represent 52 per cent of cases and females represent 48 per cent.

Four people have died from COVID-19 in the province.

To date there have been 22,207 tests for the virus performed in the province.

COVID-19 case total across Saskatchewan as of April 17. (submitted photo/SHA)

Protecting the vulnerable

Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab has updated his public health order to include new regulations.

As of April 28, long-term care and personal care homes must ensure each staff member works in only one facility. A care home’s administration may seek approval from a medical health officer to allow a staff member to work in more than one facility if they are unable to meet staffing demands.

The order also formalizes existing requirements that all staff members in long-term care, personal care, and and affiliate care homes must undergo health screening prior to entering the building. That includes a temperature check.

The order states at all times while on shift, all staff members will wear, at minimum, a procedural or surgical mask. Additional personal protective equipment could be required to perform care or procedures, the order says, and guidelines must be followed.

The screening and equipment measures also apply to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency facilities and staff members.

Visiting long-term care homes, hospital, personal care homes and group homes is restricted to family or designates visiting for compassionate reasons, the order said.

All visitors will undergo health screening before entering the building. Anyone who displays or discloses signs or symptoms of COVID-19 will be denied entry to the facility.

Asked about concerns that Northern communities have about health care workers potentially bringing COVID-19 from larger centers, Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone said the continuous masking policy and other measures will protect patients.

“There still will be a need for some folks to travel, especially to locations where it’s hard to recruit or we need specific specialty in that area to care for patients, it’s not as easy as shutting the doors on a community because we need to make sure that we’re caring for that community beyond their needs for COVID-19,” he said.

Livingstone added it’s not possible to effectively test health care workers before they travel to Northern communities because of COVID-19’s incubation period.

“There is no guarantee with swabbing and testing somebody that they’re not going to have the disease,” he said.

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by paNOW Staff

Province issues new orders to protect vulnerable population from COVID-19, case total at 307

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