Hospitalizations at 199, with 21 in ICU

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Hospitalizations at 199, with 21 in ICU

Just under 200 people are now in hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 10 from yesterday. Of those, 21 are in ICU.

Hospitalizations in North Central have also increased to 15 people receiving inpatient care and one person in ICU, the province reported on Jan. 19.

Of the 178 patients receiving inpatient care in Saskatchewan, 90 are fighting a COVID-related illness, while 71 people have incidental infections and 17 are not yet determined. Of those in ICU, 15 are COVID related, five are incidental and one is undetermined.

No new deaths were reported but 1,223 new infections were confirmed today, an increase of 122 from yesterday. There are now 11,894 active cases in Saskatchewan.

In the North Central zone, 66 new cases were reported for 597 active cases.

Of those, 120 cases are in North Central 1, with 10 added in the last day, North Central 2 (Prince Albert) has 389 active cases with 46 added in the last day and North Central 3 had 10 cases added with 88 active infections.

For vaccinations, 57 new doses were given and 28 more people are now fully vaccinated. There have been 128,676 doses given so far and 61,561 people are fully vaccinated in the zone.

Wastewater testing shows a 914 per cent increase in the Omicron variant in Prince Albert wastewater in the most recent reporting period, ending Jan. 10.

Delta is still being found in city wastewater but Omicron makes up 89.9 per cent of the total viral load.

Provincial highlights are as follows:

As of January 19, there are 1,223 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 103,901 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (15), Far North Central (6), Far North East (12), North West (45), North Central (66), North East (37), Saskatoon (307), Central West (11), Central East (62), Regina (304), South West (38), South Central (76), and South East (89) zones and 155 new cases have pending residence information

– 37 SK residents tested out of province prior to January 18 were added to Far North West (3), Far North East (1), North West (4), North Central (2), Saskatoon (11), Central East (1), Regina (9), South West (1), South Central (2), and South East (2) zones and 1 pending residence location.

– 103,901 cases are confirmed

– 26,409 cases are from the Saskatoon area

– 22,116 cases are from the North area (9,601 North West, 9,212 North Central, 3,303 North East

– 21,617 cases are from the Regina area

– 13,483 cases are from the South area (2,819 South West, 3,944 South Central, 6,720 South East)

– 9,857 cases are from the Far North area (4,668 Far North West, 557 Far North Central, 4,632 Far North East)

– 8,060 cases are from the Central area (1,858 Central West, 6,202 Central East)

– 2,359 cases have pending residence information

– 11,894 cases are considered active and 91,046 cases are considered recovered

Almost two-fifths (37.0%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 19, a total of 199 individuals are hospitalized, including 178 inpatient hospitalizations and 21 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 178 inpatients, 90 are a COVID-19 related illness, 71 are incidental COVID infections, and 17 have not yet been determined. Of the 21 ICU patients, 15 are for COVID-19 related illnesses, five have incidental COVID-19 infections, and one is undetermined.

No new deaths reported today. 961 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died, with a case fatality rate of 0.9%.

1,393,234 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 16, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,170,809 tests performed per million. The national rate was 1,444,190 tests performed per million.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,240 (102.9 new cases per 100,000).

19-year-old La Loche man charged with child porn offences

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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19-year-old La Loche man charged with child porn offences

A 19-year-old man from La Loche is facing a charge of possession of child pornography and making available child pornography.

Deondre Piche was arrested on Jan. 13 by La Loche RCMP.

Officers allege that the pornography was made available through an popular online social media application.

A search warrant was executed on Jan. 13 at a residence in the community, identified as the location where the offences took place.

Electronic devices were seized and the investigation continues.

Piche was released on multiple conditions by the La Loche Provincial Court.

The Saskatchewan ICE Unit is comprised of the Provincial Coordinator S/Sgt Shawn Stubbs and investigators from Prince Albert Police Service, RCMP, Regina Police Service, and the Saskatoon Police Service. Their mandate is to investigate crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of children on the Internet.

Woman missing from Cornerstone shopping area

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Woman missing from Cornerstone shopping area

The Prince Albert Police Service is asking for the public’s assistance locating 31-year-old Flora Jane Bird.

Flora was last seen in the area around the Cornerstone Shopping District at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Flora was last seen wearing black pants and a white jacket and described as 5’5 tall and 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Police are concerned for Flora’s health, safety, and wellbeing, and believe her to be in the city of Prince Albert.

If you have knowledge on where Flora is or have seen her, contact Prince Albert Police Service at 306-953-4222.

Tuesday COVID update: 1,089 new cases, 189 in hospital, no new deaths

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Tuesday COVID update: 1,089 new cases, 189 in hospital, no new deaths

While the number of hospitalizations has taken a jump, the ICU numbers have not yet risen to the heights seen at the peak of the Delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Jan. 18, the Sask. Health Authority reported 1,089 new confirmed cases and an additional 22 people in the hospital.

With a total of 189 people now hospitalized and positive for the virus, 18 are receiving intensive care.

The vast majority of hospitalizations (86) are in Saskatoon, followed by Regina (46).

The North Central area has 16 people receiving in-patient care and one person in ICU.

Of all the inpatient admissions in Saskatchewan, 95 are with a COVID-related illness, 63 are incidental and 13 have not been determined.

Of the ICU patients, nine are for COVID, six are incidental, two are undetermined and one incident COVID infection is in the PICU/NICU.

There are currently 11,781 active known infections in the province and 3,662 tests were performed.

For vaccinations, 946 new doses were reported for a total of 1,834,160 doses so far. An additional 659 people are now fully vaccinated for a total of 879,033 residents.

No new deaths were reported.

Of the 102,641 cases of COVID in Saskatchewan since the start of the pandemic, 5,667 were in children aged four and under, 10,660 were in children ages five to 11, 12,074 were in the 12 to 19 age group, 37,228 were people in their 20s and 30s, 24,122 were people in their 40s and 50s, 10,076 were those in their 60s and 70s and 2,814 were aged 80 or older.

Provincial highlights are as follows:

As of January 18, there are 1,089 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 102,641 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (19), Far North Central (1), Far North East (28), North West (45), North Central (56), North East (9), Saskatoon (433), Central West (26), Central East (49), Regina (187), South West (33), South Central (15) and South East (50) zones and 138 new cases have pending residence information

15 SK residents tested out of province were added to North West (from January 15 (2)), North East (from January 15 (1)), Saskatoon (from January 14 (1), January 16 (1)), Regina (from January 15 (5), January 16 (2)), South West (from January 15 (2)) and South East (from January 16 (1)) zones

102,641 cases are confirmed

-26,091 cases are from the Saskatoon area

-21,962 cases are from the North area (9,552 North West, 9,144 North Central, 3,266 North East)

-21,304 cases are from the Regina area

-13,275 cases are from the South area (2,780 South West, 3,866 South Central, 6,629 South East)

-9,820 cases are from the Far North area (4,650 Far North West, 551 Far North Central, 4,619 Far North East)

-7,986 cases are from the Central area (1,847 Central West, 6,139 Central East)

-2203 cases have pending residence information

-11,781 cases are considered active and 89,899 cases are considered recovered

Nearly two-fifths (39.5%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 18, a total of 189 individuals are hospitalized, including 171 inpatient hospitalizations and 18 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 189 patients, 67 (35.4%) were not fully vaccinated.

The SHA dashboard includes 189 hospitalizations: 171 residents are inpatient: of those, 95 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19-related illness, 63 are incidental, COVID infections and 13 have not yet been determined. 17 residents are in ICUs: of those, 9 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 6 are for incidental, COVID infections and 2 are undetermined. 1 incidental COVID infection is in PICU/NICU.

No new death reported today. 961 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died, with a case fatality rate of 0.9%.

1,389,323 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 15, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,167,387 tests performed per million. The national rate was 1,437,165 tests performed per million.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,219 (101.2 new cases per 100,000).

Since January 1, the New Cases by Vaccination Status table has shown a significant number of new cases as unvaccinated. This data is not accurate. This table is no longer featured on the dashboard until a review of the information is complete and the data

Spring construction planned for Hwy 956 from La Loche to border

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Spring construction planned for Hwy 956 from La Loche to border

Nine kilometres of all-weather road from La Loche to the Alberta border will be built this year, as soon as conditions allow.

Premier Scott Moe, speaking from self-isolation brought on by a COVID-19 infection, said that the project has long been discussed between the two provinces.

“It’s a commitment that was made a number of years ago by then Premier Calvert and Premier Klein from Alberta. They had made a commitment that they would each finish their respective portions of this road,” said Moe.

A completed highway would connect La Loche and Buffalo Narrows to Fort McMurray.

At the time, the Alberta side needed 76 kms of upgrading and the Saskatchewan side was about 53 kms.

The road was originally announced as a project to commemorate the two province’s centennials in 2005.

Saskatchewan broke ground on Highway 956, its portion of the project, in 2007 and completed 44 of the total 53 kilometres in 2008.

“We’ve been actively working at our portion of that commitment,” said Moe. “Now we’re going to move forward and complete the other nine kms of road as well.”

Saskatchewan will be asking Alberta to commit to finishing their portion as well.

Having a finished road would allow the region to share a labour force back and forth, said Moe, adding that resource development in the area is starting to escalate.

“What we see happening in the mining industry in the La Loche area, with a couple new uranium mines going through the process of approval in that area, means there are some great synergies that can be made,” he stated.

Last week, NDP leader Ryan Meili and La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois, who is also running for the NDP in the upcoming Athabasca by-election, called for more investments in northern roads, saying that the area gives more to the province than it gets back.

“Whether its access to health care emergencies or being able to access communities to bring in materials, to having people coming in for work; the existence of good quality roads makes a huge difference,” said Meili. “(This area) has been a huge source of incredible wealth for Saskatchewan and has seen so little of that wealth returned.”

Jolibois said that leaders in the area are developing a northern roads strategy that will look at multiple highways, including Highways 155, 905, 9 and others.

“It is very important that we have a very good road system,” said Jolibois.

She said that local community leaders do well and make progress when working together but they have seen less attention from the province than she would like.

“Where we lack the support is with the province. The province will come up and meet with us, and talk to us, but they’re not really listening,” she said. “When they send information afterwards, it’s really just information and there’s no action plan.”

Preconstruction on the last nine kilometres will start this spring near Garson Lake with the actual building slated to be done by the end of 2023.

No firm budget has been set for the remaining nine kms.

“We set about $6 million so far for the Saskatchewan side. We don’t have a budget for the last nine kilometres but whatever that is, we’ll be completing it,” said Moe.

Moe has written a letter to Premier Jason Kenney of Alberta asking for him to follow through on the commitment made by Klein.

“As long as it takes to do the necessary engineering and design and put it out to tender, we’ll have it done as soon as possible,” he said.

“It really builds on a number of other investments we’ve been making throughout the north,” said Moe.

The new commitment is an addition to the almost $68 million the province has already invested in northern infrastructure in this fiscal year, including education and housing.

“We heard loud and clear last week when we visited Pinehouse, Buffalo Narrows and La Loche that the investment is appreciated and more is needed,” he said.        

City budget adoption delayed

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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City budget adoption delayed

Local Journalism Initiative

Adoption of the City of Prince Albert’s budget will be delayed by another couple of weeks.

City council had planned to discuss the 2022 budget on Jan. 17 but the meeting was cancelled after too many people could not attend. 

“There were a lot of people that are away so we felt it was better to cancel it and we would re-schedule it,” said Sherry Person, the City Clerk. 

Normally the Prince Albert budget is adopted by the end of December, but some councils wait longer, even until March or later and after the provincial budget is set. 

“It’s not a huge rush,” Person said. “The city is still going to be financially capable of running.”

They will try to set a new meeting date within the next few weeks.

The budget portion sets how much the City needs to operate for the next 12 months, but ratepayers won’t know what their tax bill will be until the province sets the mil rate for education, generally done in March or April. 

susan.mcneil@paherald.sk.ca

Pedestrian killed by vehicle near Big River

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Pedestrian killed by vehicle near Big River

A man has died after being struck by a vehicle while walking near the Big River First Nation.

RCMP reported that on Jan. 16, they were told of an injured adult male on Highway 793 near the community at about 6:40 pm.

The man was pronounced dead on the scene and his family notified.

Preliminary investigation shows he was struck by a motor vehicle and officers from the Big River detachment and a Traffic Reconstructionist are investigating.

Anyone with information who has not already spoken to police should call the Big River RCMP at 306-469-2590, or report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Former Prince Albert resident invents voice to text mask

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Former Prince Albert resident invents voice to text mask

A man who grew up in Prince Albert is behind the creation of a new technology that will help hard of hearing or deaf people communicate.

While the COVID-19 pandemic provided the spark for the idea, Brian Kendall says the possible applications extend far beyond a mask.

“It’s not just a mask. It’s more a technology of speech to LED. The mask is catching on because it’s on the top of people’s minds,” said Kendall.

A person’s words show on top of the mask as they talk, but Kendall says it also works on other items, like hats or buttons, like closed captions in LED letters. 

He started tinkering with the idea at the start of 2021 and has working prototypes. He is trying to build some momentum for the invention before he starts a Kickstarter campaign.

“It’s not a gimmick thing and it’s not just for the pandemic. It’s a hard of hearing thing,” he said.

Kendall’s father has dementia and Kendall noticed when he visits that his father would pay close attention to words.

His father lives with dementia in a care home so Kendall noticed that the elderly people were having difficulty communication between masks and plexiglass.

“I noticed that my dad with his dementia could always read my t-shirts if I had a t-shirt with words on it,” he said. He could also watch TV and read the text even while he could not carry a face-to-face converstation.

“I would put this on and talk to him and it was just like voodoo magic, he’d be repeating the words.”

Kendall said he saw a mask that had a screen on it that made a smiley face and immediately thought that it would work very well for speech.

“That’s when the lightbulb started coming on,” he said. “I’m also a musician and I know that masks are taking away the high frequencies and that’s why people have a difficult time hearing. We need masks that show your words, not just a gimmick mask,” he said.

At first he was hesitant about the mask application because he knows everyone is fairly tired of having to wear them so he approached others about the idea.

“I got a lot of opinions from hearing groups and things like that and the response from them was very, very positive,” he said. 

However, these masks are not for the advantage of the general population.

“It’s not for you if you’re a hearing person and you don’t have anybody with hearing loss,” Kendall explained.

He knows the idea can go further than masks so he has developed a phone app and a wearable badge as well.

“It’s more of a line of products. I can see the applications in hospitals, retail offices, care homes,” he said.

Because he also knows that the other things hard of hearing people need to buy, such as hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars, he made his mask affordable at around $40 each.

He also made them as easy to use as he could, the user pushes a button and words start showing up on the mask.

The electronics in the mask are removable so it can be washed and there is a filter inside as well.

“People are saying this is life-changing for us, we’ve been cut right off,” Kendall said. He also anticipates that masks will be around for a bit longer and that some people will continue to wear them afterwards.

Kendall also wants people to know that the masks will not be limited to English.

“If I’m in Quebec, I can be talking in English and order a coffee and the Quebecer will see it in French,” he explained.

The masks are already ready to go but the Kickstarter campaign will allow him to use a better chip when he gets his initial order.

The campaign product is called VoiceViewer and is on Facebook and has a website too.

People will probably be able to start buying them in about a month.

1,084 new cases in province, 22 in North Central

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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1,084 new cases in province, 22 in North Central

The North Central zone saw 22 new cases of COVID-19 added to the count on Jan. 12, a reduction of 17 from the previous day.

The new cases are: 14 in Prince Albert to make 178 active infections, three in North Central 1 for 70 active infections and five in North Central 3 for 42 active infections.

According to testing results of city wastewater, Omicron is now the dominant variant of concern in Prince Albert at 84.2 percent of the viral load, although Delta is still present.

The numbers, effective up to Jan. 4, show a projected 6,077 per cent increase in viral load, all due to Omicron as the presence of Delta has reduced.

Testing of wastewater is done by the Global Institute for Water Security.

No new deaths were reported and hospitalizations remain at nine, with one of those in the ICU.

There are 290 total active cases in the zone and 8,340 people have recovered.

Yesterday, 108 tests were performed and 94 new doses of vaccine were administered. There are now 60,956 fully vaccinated people in the North Central zone.

Provincially, 870,957 people are fully vaccinated and 950,111 first doses have been given out.  

The province also corrected information on health order violations from Jan. 11.

Three businesses that were listed did not violate orders, rather the tickets were given to people in or near the businesses.

The businesses were the Kindersley Church, the Holy Family Catholic Church in Regina and Central Avenue Hair Studio in Swift Current.

Provincial highlights are as follows:

As of January 12, there are 1,084 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 95,174 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (23), Far North East (15), North West (40), North Central (22), North East (10), Saskatoon (416), Central West (6), Central East (48), Regina (287), South West (23), South Central (27) and South East (86) zones and 81 new cases have pending residence information

Twenty-one (21) cases were assigned to the North West (from January 6 (11), January 7 (1), January 10 (1)), North Central (from January 5 (2), January 6 (2), January 8 (1)), Central West (from January 9 (1)), Central East (from January 6 (1)), and South Central (from January 7 (1)) zones

Eleven (11) SK residents tested out-of-province were added to the case counts in the North West (from January 9 (1)), Saskatoon (from January 9 (2)), Regina (from January 8 (2), January 9 (4), January 10 (1)), and South Central (from January 9 (1)) zones

One (1) case was removed from the case counts in the South East zone from January 8, 2022

-95,174 cases are confirmed

    -23,802 cases are from the Saskatoon area

    -21,087 cases are from the North area (9,298 North West, 8,719 North Central, 3,070 North East)

    -19,548 cases are from the Regina area

   -12,317 cases are from the South area (2,538 South West, 3,634 South Central, 6,145 South East)

    -9,630 cases are from the Far North area (4,550 Far North West, 543 Far North Central, 4,537 Far North East)

    -7,382 cases are from the Central area (1,701 Central West, 5,681 Central East)

   -1,408 cases have pending residence information

   – 8,706 cases are considered active and 85,507 cases are considered recovered

    Almost one-half (43.3%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 11, a total of 121 individuals are hospitalized, including 112 inpatient hospitalizations and 9 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 121 patients, 57 (47.1%) were not fully vaccinated

The SHA dashboard includes 121 hospitalizations: 112 residents are inpatient: of those, 57 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19-related illness, 45 are incidental, asymptomatic infections and 10 have not yet been determined. 9 residents are in ICUs: of those, 7 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 2 is incidental, asymptomatic infections

No (0) new death reported today. 961 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died, with a case fatality rate of 1.0.

1,367,110 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 9, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,148,801 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 1,419,485 tests performed per million population.

As of today, the 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,057 (87.8 new cases per 100,000).

Since January 1, the New Cases by Vaccination Status table has shown a significant number of new cases as unvaccinated. This data is not accurate. This table is no longer featured on the dashboard until a review of the information is complete and the data rectified.

Nature of omicron means no lockdowns for Saskatchewan

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Nature of omicron means no lockdowns for Saskatchewan

The provincial government says there’s no need for additional public health restrictions because Omicron appears to be less fatal than the Delta variant of COVID-19 so far.

Premier Scott Moe said in a Facebook Live appearance on Jan. 12 that the current public health orders -which require mask wearing and showing proof of vaccination in certain venues – will remain in place until the end of February, but no additional measures will happen.

“Restrictions have been necessary at times over the course of the last 22 months and I think at times they have been quite effective in previous waves,” Moe said. “It’s quite clear now, at least in this Omicron wave of the pandemic, that lockdown policies can cause harm in our communities, often with little or no benefit.”

He said restrictions cause economic and psychological harm and they are an infringement on rights and freedoms.

“That’s why they should only be used if absolutely necessary and only if they can clearly be shown they are being effective and they are working and we are not seeing that as being the case today,” he stated.

Have and use rapid tests

As has been the message for some time, Moe reiterated that people should use rapid tests if they suspect they might have COVID or been exposed to it.

“First we should all get vaccinated and then we should all get our booster shot. Vaccination is not stopping the spread of Omicron, we need to be very clear and honest about that but it is preventing serious illness and it is preventing people from landing in our hospitals,” he said.

Almost 40 per cent of Saskatchewan residents have now received their booster shot, a rate that is the highest in Canada. In the over 60 category, the numbers are more in the two-thirds range.

Saskatchewan is also ahead of the game when it comes to rapid test distribution, Moe said.

All households should have tests handy and use them whenever people suspect they might be infected.

No health tax

Moe flatly refused to entertain the notion that Saskatchewan would move to place any kind of health tax or penalty on unvaccinated people. Quebec Premier Francois Lagault has publicly talked about placing a financial penalty on unvaccinated people as they continue to dominate hospitalization and ICU admissions in that province.

“No,” he said when asked. “Saskatchewan has not looked at this and we have no intent of looking at a vax tax.”

Rules could change if numbers warrant

The province could revisit the idea of additional restrictions if hospitalizations, in particular ICU cases, grow too high.

Moe, however, admitted that the numbers will increase from where they are now.

“Until that happens in Sask, we will see some increased hospitalizations and we will see some pressure on our health care system,” he said.

Hospitalizations are increasing slowly in Saskatchewan, but they are Delta related and not from Omicron. In December, Saskatchewan had 98 people in hospital with COVID and 31 in ICU. On January 12, there were 121 people in hospital and 11 in the ICU. In the Delta wave, 20 per cent of cases required higher levels of care and five percent ended up in ICU in unvaccinated people.

For Omicron, five per cent of cases require higher levels of care – mostly in unvaccinated people – and one per cent end up in ICU, also mostly unvaccinated. While the SHA will continue to track numbers from PCR testing, Dr. Saqib Shahab said that the PCR tests are now likely only capturing between 20 and 30 per cent of actual cases.

“What it means is that if you have mild symptoms stay home and wait to get better,” Shahab said. The stay home period is five days or two days after symptoms are gone, whichever is later and applies to vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people are to stay home for 10 days.

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