Sask. implements new testing and isolation guidelines, but no new restrictions

Saskatchewan has changed its guidelines for COVID-19 testing and isolation, but not its public health measures.

“We are continuing to watch our hospitalizations and our intensive care numbers very closely and we may take further action in the days and weeks ahead, but we are not today,” Premier Scott Moe said during a conference call Thursday.

On Thursday, the number of COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals fell to 79 — the lowest that figure has been since it was 79 on Aug. 17.

The total reported Thursday included 14 patients in intensive care, the fewest since there were 14 on Aug. 24.

Other provinces have tightened public health measures to deal with the spreading Omicron variant, but Moe noted those jurisdictions are seeing case numbers rise despite the changes they’ve made.

Places like Ontario and Quebec are setting records daily for COVID cases, but their hospitalization rates aren’t following suit as yet.

“The premier and I have never closed the door on changing restrictions or public health measures if our hospitalizations and our ICUs start to rise significantly,” Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman said during Thursday’s call.

“We are able to see what is happening in Ontario and Quebec and across the world to see what their hospitalizations (do). We haven’t seen people presenting themselves with hospitalizations that (are COVID-related). They are often for something else.”

For that reason, Moe has asked the Saskatchewan Health Authority to start separating data to determine the numbers of people who are showing up at hospitals to be treated for COVID and those who are showing up for another reason and then finding out they have COVID.

Instead of ramping up public health measures, Moe once again asked people to do things individually to help limit the spread.

“The first thing that we can do to really keep ourselves healthy and those around us healthy is go out and get your first, second, third dose — whichever that you’re eligible for at that point in time,” he said. “It’s proven with all COVID variants, including Omicron, that if you have all three doses (and) you’re boostered, you’re likely not to get sick.

“The second thing that you can do is test yourself, in particular if you’re going out to visit with some other folks, groups of people, things of that nature. If you do a test, what that will do ultimately is prevent you from making other people sick.”

The government announced 589 cases of COVID on Thursday, the most since 601 were announced on Sept. 30.

“We are entering our fifth Omicron wave. There should be no illusions of that,” chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said during the call. “It is by far transmitting mostly in the 18-to-29 age group and (I ask for) caution around New Year’s Eve.”

“Our numbers are going to increase in the days ahead. Every other province in Canada has hit record numbers over the course of the last number of weeks and we should expect that, at some point early in the new year, we will likely hit record numbers here in Saskatchewan as well,” Moe said.

“I think I was doing some simple math on where the U.K. is today with about 183,000 (new) cases and when you roughly convert that to a Saskatchewan population, we’re probably looking at 3,500 cases a day.

“I’m not certain we are going to hit those numbers in any way, shape or form but that is what the U.K. numbers correlate to a Saskatchewan population.”

Shahab said reported cases are always an underestimate of how widespread COVID actually is.

“In March 2020, we were picking up 80 per cent of true cases. With Alpha in Regina, we were picking up 60 per cent,” Shahab said. “With Omicron, in Europe for example, they are lucky if they are picking up 20 to 30 per cent of all cases because the testing capacity can’t keep up.”

Testing, isolation changes

On Thursday, the provincial government said asymptomatic residents who receive a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer have to receive a PCR test to confirm the result. They should assume they have COVID and should self-isolate immediately.

The goal is to preserve PCR testing capacity for high-risk populations in the province.

Moe admitted there may be some cases that don’t get reported because of this change but Merriman said officials aren’t downplaying the high case numbers.

“We are in a better position right now than other provinces. We have 11 million tests out there; I can guarantee you Quebec does not have 90 million rapid tests out there that they can distribute to their population,” Merriman said.

“We’re leading in booster shots (among provinces). Those are the two key indicators that are going to help us with Omicron.”

Fully vaccinated asymptomatic residents who test positive following a rapid antigen test or PCR test will be required to self-isolate for five days, not 10 days as was required previously.

“The self-isolation period has been updated from 10 to five days for confirmed cases who are fully vaccinated and more accurately reflects the infectious period for those who have received full protection of immunization,” the government said in a media release.

Everyone who tests positive via a rapid antigen test or a PCR test should self-isolate and tell their close contacts.

According to the government’s new isolation protocols: People who are fully vaccinated should self-isolate for five days from the date of their test or 48 hours after their symptoms end, whichever is later; and, people who aren’t vaccinated or are partially vaccinated should self-isolate for 10 days from the date of their test or 48 hours after their symptoms end, whichever is later.

“The approach that worked previously with previous strains doesn’t work with Omicron. By the time you do a PCR test and get in contact with contacts, those who were exposed are already transmitting in two or three days,” Shahab said.

Shahab said reducing the self-isolation time frame will make people use the rapid tests more, which could help break the train of transmission.

Close contacts must isolate for 14 days from the date of their last exposure to the infected individual, unless they’re fully vaccinated and don’t have any symptoms. They should use rapid antigen tests if they’re asymptomatic, ideally between Day 5 and Day 7 of the 14-day isolation. If symptoms develop, people should seek a PCR test.

PCR testing is recommended for people who have symptoms of COVID, including cold- and flu-like symptoms, and priority populations such as health-care workers, long-term and personal care home residents, and those who care for vulnerable populations.

Moe admitted people are getting COVID fatigue after two years of the pandemic.

“We do need to learn how to use the tools we have available and we need to learn how to live with this virus,” Moe said. “We do need to figure that out. We have many more tools available to us today than we did a year ago.

“We can’t keep our kids out of school forever. We can’t lock down our communities and community events and our businesses forever. We need to figure out how to use these tools effectively. COVID will be present in our communities, but try to keep it at a level where it doesn’t overwhelm our health-care system and allows us to live.”

Shahab said people need to be diligent all the time when it comes to limiting the spread of COVID.

“Wear your best mask, even if you are visiting a close friend or family member in their home. It feels odd but I think that’s going to be critical the next few weeks, minimizing community travel from community A to community B,” Shahab said.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray