Sask. projected to top 300 new cases of COVID-19 per day again soon
Guy Quenneville | CBC News | Posted: August 27, 2021 11:14 PM | Last Updated: August 27, 2021
'We're following a trajectory that is going to put Saskatchewan in a really precarious situation': doctor
A new modelling projection suggests the daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan could top 300 soon.
If that happens, it would be the first time since April 12, when the province reported 304 new cases of COVID-19.
"Overall, I think modelling has shown that we're following a trajectory that is going to put Saskatchewan in a really precarious situation with very high case numbers and high demand on our hospital system," said Dr. Jenny Basran, a senior medical information officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
Basran was speaking Thursday during a virtual town hall attended by Saskatchewan doctors. She was referring to research recently conducted by an independent modelling group based in B.C.
Basran shared the numbers with the usual caveat.
"Just a reminder that modelling is not a crystal ball," she said. "We can't predict exactly what the numbers are going to be. What we do is we project different what-if scenarios."
The majority of new infections will be cases of the delta variant, according to the modelling.
Saskatchewan is close to reaching the 300-mark for new daily cases already.
On Friday, health officials reported 258 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily bump seen in the province since May 8.
Doctors presenting at Thursday's virtual town hall said community transmission rates need to be curbed by indoor masking, requiring vaccinations for health-care workers and potential vaccine passports for large social events.
The Saskatchewan government has announced no such plans.
Ryan Meili, the leader of the Opposition Saskatchewan NDP, said modelling of future COVID-19 cases is also happening through the Ministry of Health.
"But they're not allowed to share it because [Health Minister] Paul Merriman doesn't want them to. [Premier] Scott Moe and Paul Merriman will do everything they can to shut up any criticism of their failure to protect us from COVID 19," Meili said.
CBC News has reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment.