System can't handle COVID-19 case spike, nurses' union head warns as province updates surge plan

The head of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses says the health-care system can't handle a surge as the Omicron coronavirus variant rages across the province.

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority announced an updated surge capacity plan, based on expected increases in both the demand for health-care services and workers in that sector being away because they have COVID-19.

The SHA is bracing for up to one-fifth of health-care workers to be absent, although that won't necessarily happen provincewide at any given time.

About 1,000 staff had to take time off for work due to COVID-19 this week, according to the health authority's chief operating officer.

Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, is concerned about the health system's ability to deal with the pandemic's fifth wave, as it has yet to recover from the wave of cases caused by the Delta variant and faces human resourcing issues.

"We don't have a system that can handle a surge of any kind," Zambory said.

"We don't have the human health resource capacity. We don't have the space, and we don't have the ability."

The reason for that, she says, is that the province has "done nothing outside of this 'wait-and-see' approach, personal responsibility idea that hasn't worked for us yet."

Zambory says the health system can't manage unless the government implements public health measures such as gathering restrictions.

Premier Scott Moe has declined to introduce such measures, saying he hasn't seen evidence they've been effective in slowing the spread of Omicron in other jurisdictions. 

"Our own Dr. Shahab is saying 'don't gather with anyone outside of your own household,'" said Zambory, in reference to Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province's chief medical health officer.

"Yet our premier is not able to support that for some reason. Without those measures put into place, our health-care system can't manage."

She also says it's disappointing that registered nurses haven't been consulted on surge plans. 

The health authority's plan has five strategies including establishing "go teams" of health-care workers who can be quickly deployed to provide care where there's a staff shortage.