THE CANADIAN PRESS
SASKATOON - Saskatchewan's health minister concedes that not everything is in place yet to deal with a potential rise in H1N1 flu cases this fall, but he insists the work will be done in time.
Don McMorris said Thursday that the vaccine has been ordered and health regions across the province are preparing for the possibility of increased cases of H1N1 within their intensive care units.
"We don't know the severity of this pandemic, the severity of H1N1, we don't know the numbers of course and we don't know how severe the cases will be," said McMorris. "But we are working on making sure that we are able to supply the vaccine, that's one piece of it, and the other piece is to make sure that our acute care centres are ready if the severity increases."
"Each health region is working on dealing with a surge in capacity in their facilities. Is everything in place today? No, there's still work being done," he said.
McMorris said officials are trying to have everything ready by November.
"We don't expect any large increase in numbers until October, November so we still have a month and a half to two months to refine the plans, to make sure if it does increase and the severity increases that we'll be well positioned," he said.
Health officials have said most people who get swine flu will have mild cases. But of those who become sick enough to be hospitalized, a significant portion end up in ICUs for weeks.
Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's deputy chief medical health officer, said Thursday that could mean a 15 to 20 per cent increase in ICU patients. The capacity is being put in place to deal with the potential influx, he said.
"The extra number of ventilators have been ordered and should be in place well before the second wave when it comes," said Shahab.
Shahab also said 1.5 million doses of the vaccine have been ordered and should arrive by mid-November.
