Sask. Opposition pushes for COVID vaccination warrant on provincial workers

“There is nothing in place to protect the people of Saskatchewan as the fourth wave unleashes, and right now Scott Moe is nowhere to be found,” Meili said Thursday at a press conference in front of the Legislature. in Regina. “He gave up. He gave up the fight against COVID-19. He abandoned the children of Saskatchewan. He gave up health care
the workers are getting exhausted. “

Last week, the Saskatchewan Party government announced it would establish a policy requiring frontline healthcare workers to provide proof of workplace immunizations. Those who are not vaccinated will need to be tested regularly for COVID-19. More details on the policy, including its deployment, have yet to be released.

In a statement Thursday, the government said it was not considering mandatory vaccinations at this time.

A spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the government was continuing to monitor COVID-19 in consultation with the province’s chief medical officer, Dr Saqib Shahab.

“Premier Moe and Minister (of Health) (Paul) Merriman are engaging more with the Saskatchewan Health Authority regarding the recent increase in hospital admissions and the continued capacity of the health care system,” said said Julie Leggott.

She added that the Prime Minister would have more to say on the subject “in the coming days”.

With no public health orders currently in place in Saskatchewan, municipalities, schools and businesses must implement their own policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as the province grapples with some of the numbers of Highest COVID-19 in Canada.

The Government of Canada website shows Saskatchewan recorded the highest case rate over the past week, with 217 infections per 100,000 population. That’s more than triple the national average of 69.

The weekly rate of cases in the Northern Saskatchewan Health Region is even higher, at 1,121 cases per 100,000 population.

Some Indigenous groups in Saskatchewan are offering vaccination incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Lac La Ronge Indian Band, in the northeast of the province, gives $ 300 to each member who receives two jabs. Mtis Nation-Saskatchewan is also running a vaccine lottery, with prizes including a boat or truck, for Mtis residents who are fully vaccinated.

Meili said the government needed a province-wide strategy to boost vaccinations as rates peaked.

Health Canada has said Saskatchewan’s vaccination rate is the second lowest in the country, with 69 percent of eligible residents fully vaccinated.

“We shouldn’t have a random patchwork of who’s calling and who isn’t,” Meili said. “It should be a consistent policy across the province.”

Hospitalizations continued to climb with cases on Thursday. The province has reported 285 new cases and one additional death. The seven-day average of daily new cases hit a record high for the pandemic with 364 new cases per day. There were 184 people hospitalized with the virus, including 32 in intensive care.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has started implementing more measures to reduce transmission.

Thursday was the second day the health authority closed its COVID-19 testing site in Prince Albert early due to capacity issues.

Starting Friday, the health authority will require visitors to long-term care homes to wear masks in common areas and strongly recommend residents to do the same when not in their rooms.

In Saskatoon, patients at all acute care hospitals are limited to two visitors at a time.

The health authority said in a statement that the reduction in visits is the result of “the substantial increase in transmission of COVID-19 in Saskatoon and high levels of hospital admissions.”