Regina, Saskatoon hospitals facing pressure in ICUs: SHA

COVID-19 debated at the Legislature WATCH: On day two of Spring Session at the Saskatchewan Legislature COVID-19 was again front and centre. Allison Bamford explains.

REGINA — Regina and Saskatoon hospitals are feeling pressure in emergency rooms and intensive care units, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“This is not solely or directly related to just COVID-19,” said Scott Livingstone, SHA CEO. “It’s more related to what we believe to be a backlog of patients in our community that have developed perhaps more symptoms or severity of illness over the past 15 months that are now attending the emergency room.”

Livingstone said the SHA is having some staffing difficulties in its ICUs.

Livingstone described the ICUs as “extremely busy” and no one is on diversion.

“We are working to move patients to more appropriate areas of care, whether they are inpatients or are moving into alternative levels of care,” he said.

Service resumptions and slowdowns have helped the SHA respond to COVID-19.

Livingstone said despite rising cases, the SHA has continued with service resumptions.

With resumptions, the SHA has been back to its regular volume of service since November.

“The plan moving forward is we continue on our services resumption as we watch carefully what’s happening with COVID-19 and pressures on the system that are not COVID-19 related,” he said.

Targeted service reductions areas with high case numbers are still part of the SHA’s defensive response strategy against the virus.

Livingstone said the SHA believes the vaccine is the most useful tool it has when it comes to slowing the spread of the virus, and protecting capacity at the hospitals.