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“I think we shouldn’t be looking at any large-scale relaxation of our safety measures until we have a better idea of our true numbers and the trends,” he added. “A few more weeks is needed to truly assess the situation.”
Anderson said the province struck a “fair balance” in public health measures over the holidays. But he said two other factors have changed the game “considerably.” First off, there’s an end in sight.
“We have multiple vaccines, so we know more clearly where the finish line is, especially for the most vulnerable that should be secured by late spring or early summer,” he said.
Indeed, Saskatchewan is stepping up its vaccine efforts. Over the 24 hours leading up to a Friday afternoon news release, the health system injected almost 1,200 vaccine doses, more than it had on any day previous. A total of 6,015 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had been administered at that time.
Anderson also pointed to a new more transmissible variant of the virus that could overwhelm Saskatchewan’s health system if it hits the province. The Saskatchewan Health Authority had sequenced 529 virus isolates to look for the variant first found in the United Kingdom as of Tuesday, and expected to do 30 more over the week. It has not yet reported finding it.
“The risk is higher than it has been, but the timetable is shorter and better defined,” said Anderson. “So how do we recalibrate? The smart thing to do would be drive our numbers down as much as possible so the new variant can’t overload the healthcare system.
“When you’ve got a lead with five minutes left in the third period you don’t take stupid risks, you play defensively.”
