Health minister says Sask. has COVID-19 response plan as NDP questions province's readiness

The provincial government's readiness to deal with a potential outbreak of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan came under question Tuesday.

There were no presumptive or confirmed cases of the new strain of coronavirus in the province as ofTuesday morning, a health ministry spokesperson said.

The virus was the subject of a terse exchange between SaskatchewanNDP health critic Vicki Mowat and Saskatchewan Health Minister Jim Reiter in the legislative assembly Tuesday afternoon.

"Yesterday the minister admitted this government is not able to produce any kind of documented plan or report on government preparations for dealing with a potential outbreak," Mowat said.

"It's great to hear the minister has a plan to no longer shake hands. And the premier says they're having conversations. But how on earth has the government failed to develop a plan to keep Saskatchewan people safe?"

Reiter said he's had "numerous meetings" with health officials in recent days, including the province's chief medical officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab.

"There's an emergency preparedness plan in place that has been for some time. It's tweaked for different types of emergencies," Reiter said. "They're working on it for the coronavirus."

Mowat pressed on, saying that "our health system is stretched to its limits and emergency rooms are already bursting at the seams."

Two weeks ago, the government released a report saying emergency rooms get clogged with patients because people from rural areas are bypassing hospitals closer to home.

• Referrals of rural Sask. patients to city hospitals causing ER backups in urban centres: SHA report

"It's hard to imagine how they could handle the pressures from a COVID-19 outbreak and it's concerning that this government hasn't devoted the resources to develop a path forward," Mowatsaid Tuesday.

In a scrum with reporters afterwards, Reiter said there are several documents outlining the province's coronavirus plan.

A ministry spokesperson later said Reiter will discuss with officials what can be assembled for the media.

"The system is preparing based on current capacity but also for potential surge capacity, where beds could be converted to support respiratory care,"the spokesperson said when asked about hospital readiness.

But "there is no number that can be applied because it's unlikely that we are going to see every single case in the first days of an event."

The majority of people infected with coronavirus have experienced only mildsymptoms.

"Apercentage of people will require care in acute care settings and potentially ICU care," the spokesperson said. "However, it cannot be predicted how quickly we will see those serious cases or over what time frame."

Delaying cases"through individual action like hand washing, social distancing [and]staying home when sick will allow the acute care system to address the serious cases over a longer period of time," the spokesperson said.

In a recent scrum, Dr.Shahabsaid it was possible the province could convert hospital wards into contained spaces for COVID-19 patients.

Asking about schools

CBC News asked what conditions would prompt the province to close a school.

"The decision to close schools, public spaces, or cancel public events [is] based on a risk assessment," the ministry spokesperson said.

"Medical health officers will consider public transmission and work with the school, public space or event accordingly in order to limit further public transmission."

CBC News also asked what might prompt the government to recommend against large public events from proceeding. The producers of the upcoming 2020 Juno Awards in Saskatoon said that as of Monday, the plan was to still hold the March 15 event.

• Juno awards proceeding in Saskatoon despite COVID-19 coronavirus concern

The spokesperson said the ministry would consider recently issued guidelines for mass gatherings issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Province needs to 'up their game' for communication

In a Monday Twitter thread, Dr. Anne Huang, a former deputy health officer for Saskatchewan, cautioned the province against calling an early election amidst the global COVID-19 outbreak.

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On Tuesday, Huang told CBC News the province needs to "up their game in terms of their public-facing communication" about the virus.

"Things have escalated very rapidly," she said of the virus' spread elsewhere in the world.

"I know my neighbours who have chronic medical conditions are worried about going to the emergency because he'd be infected."

Advice for people who fear they have virus

The Saskatchewan Health Authority participated in a coronavirus-themed press conference on Monday at Saskatoon city hall.

Dr. Johnmark Opondo, a medical health officer in Saskatoon, encouraged people to consult the provincial health ministry's coronavirus web page.

"For the general public, one of my key messages is if you are concerned and worried and are having sort of mild symptoms of runny nose or fever, first stay home," Opondo said.

"And then if you need more information call [the 811 HealthLine] and the health line will guide you in regards to health resources where you need help and a referral to public health if that is required.

Anyone with severe symptoms should call 911, Opondo said.

Weekly updates on test cases

The health ministry is updating its website every Wednesday with the statistics on how many Saskatchewan residents have been tested for the coronavirus. As of March 2, 52 people had been tested.

If a positive cases emerges, the health ministry willissue an immediate public alert, a spokesperson said.

"We are prepared for existing and anticipated increases to test volumes," a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan health ministry said Tuesday.