Thursday’s COVID-19 update from the province showed of the 138 people in Saskatchewan needing hospitalization, 15 of the 26 getting intensive care are in Regina.  Those 15 range in age from someone in their late 20’s to someone in their mid 80’s.

That is a far cry from a few weeks ago when the ICUs at the General and Pasqua were running at 115 percent capacity with surge beds being brought in to make room for those needing it.

Dr. Jeff Betcher, the area lead for critical care with the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Regina, says those surge beds are no longer needed which is a very good sign.  He says you can see that while workers still have a lot to deal with on a daily basis, you can see the stress load is not as high.

“That creates some breathing room and allows redeployed staff to go back to their duties elsewhere.” Betcher said.  “There is less tension, people are smiling and laughing and they seem more relaxed.  Our census is still well above what we normally see, but we feel we have breathing space now that we didn’t have.

While it would appear we are close to the end, Betcher encourages all to adhere to the guidelines in place and to get either your first or second dose of vaccine when eligible.  He says healthcare workers are there for you if needed, but they won’t be needed if you do your part.