Active COVID-19 cases, deaths from illness rising a month after Sask. lifts restrictions
'We cannot wish it away,' epidemiologist says
It has a been more than a month since Saskatchewan lifted all of its public COVID-19 restrictions.
In that time the province has seen a rise in COVID-19-related deaths and an increase in the number of active cases, with some regions finding cases at rates well above the rest of the province.
A professor of epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan says the rising number of cases has been fuelled by a trio of factors: stalled uptake on COVID-19 vaccinations, the lifting of health measures and the increasing presence of the COVID-19 delta variant.
"Public health measure are an important complement and important assistant to vaccines in order to suppress and hopefully eliminate COVID-19 from our province," Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine told CBC News during an interview earlier this week.
By the numbers
Between July 11 and Aug. 11, the province reported 1,511 new cases of COVID-19.
There were 11 more COVID-19-related deaths during that same time period. With two more deaths reported Thursday, that figured climbed to 13 deaths since restrictions lifted.
The month saw the pandemic touch every corner of the province, with each health zone in Saskatchewan recording new cases.
While Saskatchewan as a whole recorded just a three per cent increase in cases, some areas saw higher rates than others.
Only days after restrictions were lifted, The Buffalo River Dene Nation in the province's far northwest health zone declared a COVID-19 outbreak.
That's helped fuel a nearly nine per cent increase, or 280 new cases, in that region — the second highest of any health zone in the province.
The only zone with a worse rate was the far north central health zone, which saw a 15 per cent increase, or 67 cases, over the month.
Sixty-seven may not immediately sound like a large figure, but the province says the population of that health zone is only 2,649. That means a full 2.5 per cent of that health zone's population got COVID-19 between July 11 and Aug. 11.
Larger zones like Regina and Saskatoon have only seen 4.5 and 3.5 per cent of their populations get COVID-19 throughout the entire pandemic.
It's not just the total number of cases that has continued to increase.
When restrictions were dropped on July 11, the province was reporting 399 active cases in the province.
Although active cases initially dropped in the days after that date, they have since climbed back up.
The province reported 682 active cases as of Aug. 11.
Vaccine uptake slows
There has been no significant increase in the number of people receiving their first dose in the same time period.
The number of eligible people in the province who have received their second dose in the past month jumped by 11 per cent, with 110,485 doses.
During the same time, only three per cent of the population got a first dose.
Muhajarine said that's a bad thing, given that Saskatchewan has decided vaccination will be the primary way to combat COVID-19 going forward.
"We have significant pockets of people who live in certain places without even one dose of vaccine, you know, and we have lifted all public health measures," he said.
'We need to deal with this'
Muhajarine said the province needs to remain focused on the pandemic and called for the premier and health minister to help explain what is going on.
Saskatchewan hasn't held a COVID-19 news conference since July 7, when Premier Scott Moe said it would be ending regular updates.
The province has also reeled back its efforts to communicate information with media and residents. It no longer provides daily news releases on COVID-19 statistics or new cases, and instead only provides a weekly recap.
The province did not answer a question from CBC News on whether it plans to change its communications policy and start holding COVID-19 news conferences now that numbers are rising again.
Instead, a statement pointed individuals to its online dashboard, which is updated with daily COVID-19 statistics at 1:30 p.m. CST every day.
Muhajarine said not discussing the state of COVID-19 is unacceptable.
"We need to deal with this," he said.
"By wishing it away we are not going to wipe COVID-19 from our province. We cannot wish it away."
LISTEN | Sask. microbiologist Dr. Joseph Blondeau answers your COVID-19 questions on Blue Sky:
