Saskatchewan’s top doctor said people should “mask up” as COVID-19 numbers rose substantially over the past month, but fell short of making masks mandatory..Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab warned a rebound in COVID-19 infections has begun, and will only get worse as children go back to school and spend more time indoors..“It’s something I think we again need to become conscious of in the fall. None of the basic principles have changed,” said Shahab..“As we get into the fall, it’s always a good idea to always keep your best fitting mask, and especially if your higher risk, start again to use a mask in indoor, crowded locations, especially with people you’re not normally around.”.In the last COVID-19 monthly report, long-term and care home outbreaks went from three to 46..READ MORE Sask long-term care COVID-19 outbreaks spike 1,500% as vaccination rates stall.The weekly average of people hospitalized with COVID-19 went from 88 to 122, with 27 admitted to the intensive care unit..Twenty-seven Saskatchewan residents died from COVID-19..Dr. Cordell Neudorf, a University of Saskatchewan epidemiology professor and a Saskatchewan Health Authority interim official, said the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 is the most common COVID-19 variant and Saskatchewan is beginning another COVID-19 wave..“I think what the indicators are showing is that we’ve passed that low point of the summer and we’re already starting to see that uptick,” said Neudorf..Neudorf said people are tired of restrictions and not complying with suggested protocols, such as masking. .“Once again, we’re at a stage where there’s not only no restrictions in place in most places, but there’s a low level of voluntary compliance right now. A lot of people are tired of taking those precautions,” said Neudorf..Less than half of Saskatchewanians received their first booster shot and about 20% have not had their second dose, making Saskatchewan the province with the lowest vaccination rates..Shahab said the province is trending in the wrong direction..“We are trending up. How high this will go, how much of a pressure this will put on the health system, I think we are watching closely. But of course, I think as individuals, we need to play our role,” said Shahab.
