Sask.'s chief medical health officer says province heading toward 'fall and winter of misery'
CBC
Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman told residents in a COVID news conference on Wednesday to "get vaccinated as soon as possible" and reiterated that vaccines are the way out of the pandemic.
He said new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are "overwhelmingly" among those who have not yet received their shots.
Merriman last addressed the media on Aug. 25, when he said that although there were signs the province is entering its fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial government was not prepared to mandate vaccinations.
Since then, 90 people with COVID-19 have died in Saskatchewan, the number of people hospitalized has increased by 203 and ICU admissions have risen by 45.
Saskatchewan recorded one of its worst days in the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, breaking multiple pandemic-related records.
"The choice to not get vaccinated is not just affecting you," Merriman said, adding that "life is going to get more difficult" for people not vaccinated yet as the province's proof of vaccination policy takes effect Friday.
Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said Saskatchewan is heading towards a "fall and winter of misery." He said that at this current rate, there may not be large Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings.