As COVID-19 numbers spike in Saskatchewan the latest wastewater data report for Saskatoon paints a similarly bleak picture. The latest wastewater data has the highest virus load recorded to date.
Saskatchewan reported 1,069 new cases on Monday, the third-highest daily total in the province since the start of the pandemic with 44.6 per cent of the new cases in people aged 20 to 39.
Active cases reached a new high of 7,750, topping the previous high of 7,418 reported on Sunday.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers also reached a new high on Monday of 871, 72.3 cases per 100,000 people.
John Giesy says cases in the province may be higher than what the government is reporting.
An ecotoxicologist at the University of Saskatchewan, he believes this may be due to the lack of PCR follow-up testing and contact tracing.
“It would indicate that there about twice as many people ill than are showing up in the provincial numbers,” Giesy told Global News.
He said the latest waste water data for Saskatoon is the highest virus load level recorded to date.
The number of people in hospital for COVID-19 remained steady at 119, with 11 people in intensive care.
Provincial officials said 44.5 per cent of hospital patients were not fully vaccinated.
According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority Dashboard, 59 of the 108 inpatients are due to COVID-19-related illness, 36 are incidental, asymptomatic infections, and 13 have not yet been determined.
Eight ICU patients are due to COVID-19-related illnesses and two are incidental, asymptomatic infections. No information was provided on the 11th ICU patient.
Giesy believes hospitalizations remaining stable could be due to a number of factors, including vaccination rates.
“We have a pretty high vaccination rate here in Canada. Even here in our province, which is lagging some of the other provinces, it’s still pretty high compared to other places in the world,” he said.
Giesy said the current hospitalization rate is good news.
“That’s what the politicians are … saying, ‘OK, if it doesn’t cause severe illness, it’s more like the flu, it’s more like a cold. Just soldier on.
“But it is controversial. I do have colleagues saying, ‘No, we need to put a brake on it because we’re overburdening the medical system.’”
The province reported no new deaths in Monday’s update.
Since the start of the pandemic, Saskatchewan has reported 92,940 total cases and 84,229 recovered cases.
Giesy foresees the current spike in cases continuing for the next few weeks, as the Omicron variant is very transmissible.
“I’m expecting this will peak out within about two weeks because things will go really fast,” he said.
“So, whoever is going to get it are probably going to get it very soon, and then things will start to stamp out.”