Sask. to require bookings for all COVID-19 PCR testing, further restrict eligibility, end daily reporting

Saskatchewan will soon require all PCR tests for COVID-19 to be booked in advance via the 811 HealthLine and is adding more restrictions on who will be eligible. 

On Thursday the province announced that PCR testing will be reserved for "priority populations at elevated risk to severe outcomes," including: 

• Hospitalized patients, including those admitted or transferred between acute, long-term care or personal care homes.
• High risk populations as ordered by the medical health officers, such as residents in long-term care, personal care homes and congregate living facilities.
• Priority symptomatic people: health-care workers or essential workers who have a negative rapid antigen test but remain symptomatic.
• People with chronic illnesses.
• Symptomatic people living or working in First Nation and Métis communities.
• Surgical patients with symptoms or a positive rapid antigen test who are scheduled or expecting to receive surgery within the next 90 days.
• Pregnant patients.
• Symptomatic immunocompromised people, including all transplant donors.
• Newborns born to COVID-19-positive patients.

The booking requirement will come into effect on Monday, Feb. 7, the province said.

Residents who require PCR test results for travel, in lieu of proof of vaccination or for insurance claims through the Workers' Compensation Board will now need to purchase a test from a private lab service.

Free rapid antigen tests will continue to be offered at approximately 600 locations across the province. 

Deaths reach grim milestone

More than 1,000 people with COVID-19 have now died in the province.

On Thursday the province reported four more deaths, bringing the total to 1,001.

Eighteen people with COVID-19 have died in the last week.

Hospitalizations also hit a new record, up 12 from the previous day to 384 patients.

There are currently 36 COVID-19 patients in ICU and one in neonatal/pediatric intensive care.

The number of known active cases is more than 10,000, but those numbers don't include people who tested positive on at-home rapid tests. 

The PCR test positivity rate continues to be above 30 per cent.

Dashboard to end next week

In addition to the changes around testing, the province will soon end its long-running practice of providing daily COVID-19 data. 

Starting the week of Feb. 7, public health will discontinue its dashboard and archive all of the information contained within it.

Instead, the province will issue weekly COVID-19 epidemiological reports on Thursdays. 

The new weekly data will include new laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths, tests and vaccination information across the province and by each health zone. 

Hospitalizations and ICU numbers were not included in the list of information that would be provided in the weekly updates.

However, a statement from the Ministry of Health said it will continue reporting hospitalizations.

"We are currently determining how that will occur as part of the new reporting system," the statement said. 

A shift in approach

At an update on Thursday, officials with the Provincial Emergencies Operation Centre said the shift in policy will align with how the province responds to and reports on other communicable diseases. 

Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab repeatedly drew the comparison between COVID-19 and influenza.

The province says the shift is the result of widespread access to vaccinations and booster doses, as well as free at-home rapid testing. 

The arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in Saskatchewan has meant that contact tracing and case management protocols are less effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the province said. 

Public health will continue to investigate outbreaks in acute care settings, long-term care and integrated facilities, personal care homes and correctional facilities.

However, the province says that outbreaks linked to public mass gatherings. places of worship, workplaces, daycare and educational settings will no longer be investigated. 

Meili calls on premier to denounce planned protest

According to several Facebook posts, a protest is being planned for Saturday at the legislature in Regina. Unlike a rally on the previous Saturday, the posters are claiming they plan to not leave the legislative grounds.

Opposition Leader Ryan Meili said those planning the protest should stay home.

"We've got an invasion of our nation's capital, and we're potentially going to see something of the same sort in Regina. I repeat my message to the people who might come to Regina and try to occupy the legislature, go home. It's not smart, it's not safe and it's not right."

Meili said Premier Scott Moe should "show some god damn leadership" and denounce those planning to protest.

"Get up and tell these people to stay the hell out of Regina. There's no place for this kind of garbage."

Meili said Moe and Conservative MPs are "playing footsie with extremists."

The Provincial Capital Commission has jurisdiction for Wascana Centre and enforces its bylaws.

"As always, our government supports everyone's right to peaceful protest but not unlawful activity. The sergeant-at-arms, the Provincial Capital Commission, and Regina Police Services have been working together to closely monitor the situation and respond as necessary," said a government spokesperson.

The Regina Police Service said it is aware of the protest and said the organizers have not communicated with the police or applied for a permit.

"We will continue to monitor and assess ahead of the event to make sure we are appropriately resourced for this event, as well as other calls for service in the city."

Health officials don't answer questions on Moe's vaccine comments

On Thursday, health officials repeatedly declined to say whether they agreed with the premier's recent comments on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Moe has repeatedly made the claim that vaccination is no longer reducing transmission of the virus, claiming that "both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are getting it … at virtually the same rate."

Multiple experts have disputed his claim, pointing to errors in his calculations and understanding of the data. 

"Vaccines do decrease the transmission of the virus, do decrease the ability to actually acquire the virus in the first place," Dr. Hassan Masri told CBC ealier this week. 

Experts have said that the premier's comments are likely to undermine confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and slow vaccine uptake. 

About 15 per cent of the population has not received a dose of the vaccine, according to data compiled by CBC.

CBC News asked the Saskatchewan Health Authority during Thursday's update to provide a yes or no answer on whether the SHA's policy on vaccination was now the same as the premier's.

Derek Miller, the authority's interim chief operating officer, declined to answer and deferred to Dr. Shahab. 

Shahab was asked several times throughout the update and would not provide a clear answer.

"Respectfully, I like to say that I've been very clear throughout the pandemic on what my recommendations are, what my interpretation of the data is, but I have to leave it at that," Saskatchewan's top doctor said.

"You know, I don't speak for, or cannot speak on behalf of, you know, elected officials or premiers."

Further restrictions to be lifted

Thursday's update came after Moe continued to hint that the last of the province's restrictions implemented to suppress the spread of COVID-19 will be gone "very soon."

"COVID is not ending, but government restrictions on your rights and freedoms … will be ending," Moe said in a pair of videos posted on Wednesday. 

He said that while COVID-19 has not ended, people understand it better.

"They understand the risk and they are prepared to live with that risk more than they are prepared to live with the ongoing government intrusion into their lives," Moe said.

"This perpetual state of crisis is having a harmful impact on everyone." 

Moe said the province's first priority is public access to health-care services.

Last week, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said its public health teams were "drowning" and that the current pandemic situation is an "emergency." 

Moe offered no details on which restrictions would be lifted, beyond the proof of vaccination mandate that he had previously mentioned would be rescinded soon.

In recent weeks, Saskatchewan has relaxed public health measures. Last week, the province trimmed the length of time people are required to self-isolate and eliminated close contact protocols.