Sask. COVID-19 patient marks 279 days in hospital

Ken Roth is still too weak to stand by himself, let alone walk.

Roth, 66, is a recovering COVID-19 patient who has been receiving care, first in Calgary and now at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, for nine months — 279 days, to be exact.

His daughter, Kendra Roth, takes him outside the hospital in a wheelchair to get fresh air and a small break from his hospital room.

"I've been on every floor of this hospital," he said. "I've had many ups and downs. It really took a toll on me. I'm 240 pounds now, and I used to be 300 pounds."

He choked up, adding, "It's been tough … COVID really got me."

Roth is a water treatment plant supervisor and retired fire chief from La Loche, Sask., 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. 

The unvaccinated grandfather was hospitalized for COVID-19 in Calgary's Foothills Medical Centre on July 24, 2021, while on a family vacation in Alberta. He spent weeks in a coma, and was airlifted to Saskatoon in early September.

His wife, Lorraine, and daughter, Kendra, moved into a hotel near St. Paul's Hospital where they've stayed since last fall.

"A few times I came in, even 3 o'clock in the morning … he was having anxiety attacks because there's nobody around him that he knew. So, as I come in, he calms right down. So, I sit here for all hours of the day and night sometimes," Kendra said.

When Saskatchewan's ICUs became overwhelmed in October, Roth was among the 27 patients sent to Ontario for care. At the time, Roth told CBC News that his abrupt transport – without any notice or time to call his wife or daughter – had reminded the Métis man of being taken to residential school as a child.

Since returning to Saskatoon, Roth's recovery has been interrupted by pneumonia, adverse reactions to medications, bladder infections and other setbacks.

There are more than 400 COVID-19 patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, more than in any other wave of the pandemic. However, more than half were admitted for illnesses other than COVID but also tested positive for the virus. And only about 20 require intensive care as of April 27.

Some COVID-patients continue to spend long stretches in the hospital.