COVID-19 in Saskatchewan

[jigglysquishy]

6 cases in Saskatchewan. Libraries and community centers closed in Saskatoon.

Regina mayor about to address the city.

Premier likely announcing school closures at 11:30.

[Crisis]

Was very surprised when it was announced yesterday that SK was not closing schools. Especially in light of Alberta closing them for the rest of the year, which, in my opinion, seems a bit premature. That being said, I fully expect the schools here to be closed effective tomorrow morning.

I'd also expect most offices to be told to close and have employees work from home where possible. Still trying to determine how this is going to play out on our construction sites. Tough to tell hourly workers to stay home and not get paid. Equally tough to expect employers to pay workers who are not at work. Gov't will likely end up funding those wages but, in reality the govt is the taxpayers, so that's not great either.

All in all, this sucks.

[Crisis]

That didn't take long. 5 minutes after posting, I got this in an email from Ken Cheveldayoff:

PROVINCE ANNOUNCES CLASS SUSPENSIONS EFFECTIVE MARCH 20, WIND DOWN PERIOD UNTIL THURSDAY

Today, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that all classes in Saskatchewan pre K-12 Schools will be suspended indefinitely, effective March 20, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For the period of March 16 to March 19, pre K-12 classes will wind down. This means that parents who are able to keep children home should do so immediately, with no absence or grade impacts. Parents with limited childcare options have a window to plan for class suspensions.

[Festivus]

Kids will all graduate to the next level with the current marks they have, and entrance qualifications for universities will be modified next year to take the situation into account.

[Stormer]

I have grave reservations about our healthcare system being capable of handling any significant outbreak. I have received first hand accounts of serious delays with getting test results. We only have 100 ICU beds and they are "mostly in use". What is happening in the remote aboriginal community of Southend where the health care worker tested positive?

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Given that more research is suggesting that the virus is spreads quickly and undetected, they should have closed the schools effective immediately. Saskatchewan had a good chance to flatten the curve early and we could have been quicker. The kids will be fine. The olds may not.

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

The kids will be fine. The olds may not.

sonofabitch!

[Festivus]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

Given that more research is suggesting that the virus is spreads quickly and undetected, they should have closed the schools effective immediately. Saskatchewan had a good chance to flatten the curve early and we could have been quicker. The kids will be fine. The olds may not.

A paper being released in Science found that 86% of detected transmissions in China/South Korea were through people not showing any symptoms. So yes, drastic action was needed earlier. Now, people need to take it seriously. I had coworkers go out to a restaurant to eat today, I couldn't believe it. I am not going into the office at this point.

[jigglysquishy]

We doubled our cases in Saskatchewan from 8 to 16 including a community transmission.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

We doubled our cases in Saskatchewan from 8 to 16 including a community transmission.

Makes sense. Cases have been doubling every 48 hours in almost every country. We have the worse days well ahead of us.

[Penn33]

The kids will not be alright, a lot will be in icu and doctors may have to choose who to intubate. Unless we do something now.

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Originally Posted by Penn33

The kids will not be alright, a lot will be in icu and doctors may have to choose who to intubate. Unless we do something now.

Well if it gets to the that, the kids will be intubated and the olds won't. As in Italy.

[Luisito]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

Makes sense. Cases have been doubling every 48 hours in almost every country. We have the worse days well ahead of us.

Sad but true. And some people are still being asshole not self isolating or practicing social distancing.

[Festivus]

Originally Posted by Luisito

Sad but true. And some people are still being asshole not self isolating or practicing social distancing.

I don't think tweets can be embedded on the forum since it's so old, but: https://twitter.com/JosephAngolano/s...033284104?s=20

Text:

Trigger warning. Don't read if stats about #COVIDー19 scare you.

2514,
3143,
3928,
4910,
6138,
7672,
9589

That's the predicted rate of COVID-19 infections in Canada over the next seven days if the rate of exponential growth continues to hold. So far it has.

If these numbers are significantly lower, especially in six or seven days' time, then the curve is flattening.

So please. Stay home. Wash your hands frequently. If you have to go outside, stay at least two metres away from the next person.

[jigglysquishy]

Sask Party expects 15,000 deaths in Saskatchewan.

[Festivus]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Sask Party expects 15,000 deaths in Saskatchewan.

Scariest quote from the article:

The same page says that "over the course of the event," if 30 per cent of the province's population is infected, approximately 15,000 people will require ICU beds.

It says Saskatchewan currently has 109 intensive-care (ICU) beds province-wide.

The document outlines a plan to significantly expand COVID-19 bed capacity to around 2,900 beds through the use of field hospitals at potential sites including gymnasiums, leased commercial space, community centres and arenas.

[djforsberg]

Two weeks ago the government was more concerned with catching the NDP by surprise with an election so we shouldn't be surprised by their continued incompetence which is going to result in many unnecessary deaths.

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Sask Party expects 15,000 deaths in Saskatchewan.

Well now, that's not exactly what was said, is it? The report suggested a worst-case scenario of 9,000 - 15,000 deaths.

Obviously time will tell what the final numbers are. 12,000 deaths would equate to a mortality rate of approximately 1% of the Saskatchewan population. Italy's current mortality rate according to worldometers.info is 113/million of population, or slightly higher that 0.01% of their general population. No doubt that death rate will increase dramatically over the coming weeks but would have to increase one hundredfold to reach those SHA worst-case #s.

No doubt that this will overwhelm our healthcare system and there will be many COVID-19 related deaths here. To what extent will remains to be seen. I'm not sure if this is purposeful scaremongering on behalf of the government to influence public behaviour. But I am sure that media, both professional and social, will take every opportunity to promote fear and panic.

[jigglysquishy]

Italy's CFR is over 8%. Sask Party is anticipating a CFR of 5%

[jigglysquishy]

First two fatalities announced in Saskatchewan today.