Regina health care officials prepare for pandemic peak

A Regina soccer centre could be transformed into a temporaryhospital with hundreds of beds if the local health care system becomes overwhelmed byCOVID-19 patients.

"Of course our goal is hopefully we never have to use the field hospital," said Shelia Anderson, the Saskatchewan Health Authority's incident commander and executive director of primary health care in Regina.

Anderson said officials are also considering the International Trace Centre portion of Evraz Place as they try to "secure more equipment" for a makeshift facility.She said it's not yet clear what type of patients would be treated there.

The planning is part of a provincial effort to prepare for the peak of the pandemic.

On Wednesday, the government released projections for how the virus could affect the province.

It projected that Saskatchewan could experience 153,000 cases total, with 3,075deaths, if the province follows a "low-range" scenario based on the assumption that a person with COVID-19 would infect 2.4 other people. The high-range modelling projects 408,000 cases and 8,300 deaths province-wide.

The government won't say what time periodthe projections cover.

Anderson said that modelling showsas many as211 ICU beds could be needed for COVID-19 patients in Regina during a peak. Officials have anticipated that rural patients willrequire support in the city, so they're planning to have 410 ICU beds available.

The government estimated 90 to 95 per cent of patients who require the ICU would require ventilators. There are 120 ventilators in the city right now.

To date, only one ward has been sectioned off for COVID-19 at Regina General Hospital, but this could grow to multiple wards or floors in stages.

Anderson would not specify what specific number of patients would trigger the opening of the field hospital. She noted that Wascana Rehabilitation Centre could also be used to treat non-COVID-19 patients if both hospitals in the city become overwhelmed. Officials have identified at least 80 patients who could be relocated from the care facility to make space, but don't know yet where they'd go.

As for staffing, Anderson said that amid a peak, they will consider tapping medical students to help out, but she did not comment on whether they would use volunteers from the public.

Anderson reiterated the importance of slowing the spread.

She noted they've increased staffing to help with contact-tracing in the area from three to 23and are trying to ramp up infection control at some long-term care facilities.

"The most important role we playtoday is educating and reinforcing the mitigation measures to reduce the impact."