Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, said front-line health workers are feeling the burden of overcrowded intensive care units (ICUs) across the province.
“They’re tired, they’re scared, yesterday’s announcement makes them even more scared … disappointed and frustrated,” she told Global News on Friday.
On Thursday the provincial government announced that surging COVID-19 infections have filled the province’s ICUs, which are close to 100 per cent capacity.
The government also said it needs 200 more beds than exist outside of Regina and Saskatoon to accommodate a forecasted surge in novel coronavirus infections.
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A government statement said the province needs more staff to deal with the surge than are currently available on the job market and will be bringing in federal and provincial government employees to help the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) handle the surge and conduct contact tracing.
The SHA’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Susan Shaw, yesterday said this is the longest sustained increase in the number of sick people she had ever seen – and that it will continue.
“We really need the public to stay home, keep your bubbles and stay as safe as you can by following every single public health measure.”
Zambory told Global News the solution to the problem of at-capacity hospitals and tired health-care workers takes place outside the medical system.
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“We need to have targetted shutdowns for a short amount of time, about two weeks,” she said.
“What we’re talking about is a very targetted shutdown on areas that have proven to be superspreaders, like the bingo palaces, like the casinos, and like the night clubs.”
She stressed she is aware of the financial hardship measures like that could cause but, “I think there’s many ways that we can keep the economy going and save lives at the same time. It’s not either/or.”
— With files from Jonathan Guignard