Meili calls on Moe to resume news conferences, release COVID data to public

After seven new COVID-19 deaths and 472 new cases were announced Friday, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili wants to see more done.

Meili called for Premier Scott Moe to respond to several demands in light of data reportedly leaked from the Saskatchewan Health Authority concerning projections of case numbers in the province at a physician town hall Thursday.

“We’ve seen numbers leaked today to media that show we could be at 750 cases per day by the end of the month,” Meili said.

The projections also showed a possibility of 350 COVID-19 hospitalizations and more than 100 patients in Saskatchewan intensive care units.

Meili wants to see Moe release current and recent modelling, as well as COVID-19 data from prior months leading up to Saskatchewan’s fourth wave.

“Today we’re asking him to be honest with the people of Saskatchewan about his mistakes but also about the information that he’s had,” Meili told reporters.

“Release all of the advice (and) all of the modelling that he’s had since July that led to these disastrous decisions that worsened the fourth wave.”

Meili also wants Moe to resume weekly news conferences and apologize to residents of the province.

“He needs to say to the people of Saskatchewan that he’s sorry for his mistakes, especially to every family that’s lost a loved one,” the NDP leader said.

Meili called it “frustrating” to see such high daily case numbers in the province as a father, physician and clinical leader.

The opposition leader also said he believes the Saskatchewan Health Authority has been “muzzled” by the provincial government, and therefore unable to share data about COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, according to experts in the health-care system with whom he has spoken.

Meili did, however, express positivity at seeing more people get their COVID-19 vaccinations following Thursday’s government announcement about public health measures.

There were 3,287 doses of COVID vaccine administered in the province in the latest reporting period, the most since 4,064 shots were given Aug. 21.

The total included 1,560 first doses, the most in a day since 4,116 first doses were delivered Aug. 17.