The Saskatchewan Health Authority Friday said it is screening and interviewing potential health professionals to be deployed to La Loche to help with COVID-19 efforts as cases in that northern community are approximately 60.
On Wednesday Premier Scott Moe said between 50 to 100 more people will be assigned to La Loche.
Once on the ground, the staff will be put into teams where they will go door-to-door to the roughly 750 homes in the region. The teams will examine the isolation conditions and possibly reassign residents and if a single case has been identified, the entire household gets tested.
The more aggressive testing, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Saqib Shahab said will reveal more positive cases but that the effort was to get ahead of the virus.
19 new cases were reported Friday in the La Loche region with local leaders urging residents to take self-isolation seriously, as two elders have died due to the virus this week. Shahab said a single case from northern Alberta has significantly grown due to community transmission.
65 self-isolation units have been established at the two schools in La Loche for residents wanting to avoid the virus or to recover.
A rapid testing machine is operational to detect presumptive cases. Theses samples will be flown to Regina for confirmation.
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert after a single patient, not admitted for coronavirus tested positive.
Officials say the patient was admitted April 21 and is now isolated along with some hospital staff. Transmission within the hospital has not occurred.