Saskatchewan government emails warned of health-care collapse ahead of COVID patient transfer

COVID-19 from spreading out of control.“We’ve gone so far, and we just have to go along for the next few weeks and months. And it is distressing to see what is happening in our ICUs and hospitals,” Shahab said, as he suppressed sobs.He apologized for crying before continuing, but still struggled to stay calm.“To see young lives lost through a vaccine-prevented disease – how can we accept this?”Shahab is the province’s top doctor.

As Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, it is his role to provide information and advice to the provincial government.This outburst, on October 20, 2021, came two days after the province began transferring patients to Ontario for treatment for COVID-19.

Read more: Shaping Saskatchewan: Saqib Shahab Saskatchewan’s own hospitals couldn’t accept any more patients. The ICUs were simply overwhelmed with people struggling to survive the deadly Delta variant.For months, Shahab had publicly asked, wished for and begged the public to wear masks, to stay home and to get vaccinated so they and others could be safe.It hadn’t worked.

By the fall of 2021 Saskatchewan had the highest new case rates and, later, the highest death rates in the country.And Shahab had warned the government it would happen.Using a freedom of information request, Global News obtained internal government messages that show Shahab told provincial leaders the health-care system would be overwhelmed more than a month before patients were transferred to Ontario.A note from Tuesday, Sept.