Outbreak Declared At Moose Jaw Care Home

An outbreak has been declared by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) at a local care home.

On November 4th the SHA declared an outbreak for Pioneer Lodge - Memory Lane.

In late August the SHA declared an outbreak at the same facility which although is still listed as an outbreak at the facility in the list of local outbreaks may have not been an actual outbreak but false positive results in August 22nd testing.

The SHA defines a COVID - 19 outbreak as when two or more people contract the virus at a public facility or workplace and the cases are connected. The SHA does not list the number of people who contract the virus at a workplace.

It is also unknown the ages of and whether or not the people who contracted COVID - 19 were vaccinated or not.

At the present time the Province has mandated the wearing of masks in publicly accessible areas of private businesses as well in all areas of public health care facilities.

Additionally the Province also enacted rules effective November 8th requiring anyone entering long term care homes or acute care facilities (unless a patient) to be vaccinated and show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID - 19 test.

The SHA is also encouraging people to perform proper hygiene such as frequent hand washing, wearing masks when a person is less than two meters away from someone not in their household and refrain from touching your eyes, mouth and nose areas without first properly washing your hands.

The preventive measures are being stressed by medical professionals to prevent a Fifth Wave of the virus this Winter.

The month of October was particularly hard on Saskatchewan. October saw 157 COVID - 19 related deaths in Saskatchewan as the pandemic’s fourth wave struck the province.

Additionally the Province started to transport COVID ICU patients to Ontario as well as accepted help from the Canadian military to help relieve the stress on the overburdened health care system.

Yesterday it was reported on social media a well known local doctor, Dr. Youssef Al-Begamy, who worked in the emergency department at the F W Wigmore Hospital sadly passed away after spending the last two weeks in intensive care in Ontario.

Dr Al-Begamy was one of the first patients the Province transfered to Ontario when rising case numbers from the Fourth Wave of the pandemic overwhelmed the provincial medical system.