Saskatchewan dealing with fast-spreading COVID-19 outbreak in far north
Posted May 1, 2020 6:20 pm.
Last Updated May 1, 2020 6:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
REGINA — Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer says a rapidly spreading outbreak of COVID-19 in a remote northern community is concerning.
Dr. Saqib Shahab says 19 of the 26 newest cases come from in and around La Loche, a Dene village about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, where the virus is spreading through community transmission after initially arriving by travel from northern Alberta.
Health officials say they have ramped up testing and contact tracing, and staff will be going door-to-door to connect with residents.
Despite an outbreak in the north and at two hospitals, Shahab says the rest of the province remains quiet.
The government has declared an outbreak at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.
The CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority also says officials should have informed people sooner about an outbreak at a hospital in Lloydminster on the Saskatchewan-Alberta boundary where staff and patients have been infected.
Saskatchewan has had 415 COVID-19 cases, with 297 people recovered.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 30, 2020.
The Canadian Press
