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Almost half of the current cases of influenza A in Saskatchewan are affecting people under the age of 19, while multiple long-term care homes are also seeing outbreaks of the virus.
The Saskatchewan NDP is calling for an emergency public campaign to boost uptake of flu shots, saying hospitals are overrun.
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“Health care in Saskatchewan has never been in this bad of shape. One thing we can do right here and right now is take steps to bolster prevention so we can take pressure off hospitals and health clinics,” said Meara Conway, the Saskatchewan NDP’s health critic.
“I am urgently calling on Scott Moe and the Sask. Party to launch a more active public awareness campaign on the benefits of the flu shot right away. Our vaccination numbers are brutal right now. This is the provincial government’s job and they should be doing it, regardless of the holiday season.”
About 40 per cent of Influenza A tests are coming back positive, with this year’s main strain particularly challenging. At the same time, vaccination rates are sitting at roughly 20 per cent.
(Saskatchewan Health Authority)
The most recent surveillance reports from the Saskatchewan Health Authority show that influenza A cases increased by 13.5 per cent in the first half of December. Of the confirmed flu cases, 48 per cent were among people under 19 years old.
Before Christmas, several Junior A hockey games in the SJHL and community events were cancelled because people were too sick.
School absenteeism increased to 17.8 per cent for the week ending December 13, according to the health authority, compared to 15 per cent the week before and 12 per cent the week before that.
As of Dec. 13, there were 127 people in the hospital with the flu across Saskatchewan, and 13 in intensive care.
The NDP said Saskatchewan is the only province with the flu categorized as having widespread activity, and pointed to the case of three children in Ontario who died recently of the flu.
“This can be a matter of life and death. Influenza is no joke,” Conway said. “I get that it’s the holidays, but all is not calm, all is not bright, so the government needs to stop being silent.”
While a significant number of children are suffering from the flu at the moments, seniors are not exempt, and multiple long term care homes are seeing outbreaks.
In Prince Albert, multiple locations of the Herb Bassett Home are dealing with outbreaks of influenza A. Mont St. Joseph has a respiratory outbreak in one of its units, but its source is unknown.
Red Deer Nursing Home in Porcupine Plain, Chateau Providence in St. Brieux, Evergreen Health Centre in Leoville and River Heights Lodge in North Battleford also have flu outbreaks.
The Arborfield Special Care home has a COVID-19 outbreak, while the Birch View Home in Birch Hills has an unknown respiratory illness outbreak.
St. Mary’s Home in Humboldt has a rhinovirus outbreak.
Conway said she is also calling “for an emergency plan to ease the chaos in our hospitals.”
Before Christmas, the NDP released numbers on emergency wait times in Saskatchewan hospitals, which showed wait times of up to 41 hours in Prince Albert. The provincial government said the numbers were being misconstrued.
