Drop in testing in Sask. means decreasing COVID case numbers not completely accurate: expert – CBC
Nazeem Muhajarine says more cases would be reported if testing was ramped up
Oct 27, 2021
Saskatchewan’s dropping number of known active COVID-19 cases is one of the reasons Premier Scott Moe is not budging to impose further restrictions, but a lack of testing in the province makes Moe’s claims only “partially accurate,” according to one epidemiologist.
New COVID-19 diagnoses in Saskatchewan are at the lowest level since late August. On Tuesday, the provincial health ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 126 new cases. That was 44 fewer — or about 26 per cent — than the day before. Mid-August was the last time Saskatchewan saw daily case numbers that low.
However, the number of people getting tested is also down. Testing numbers so far this week are also at their lowest since mid-August, which means we may not be getting an accurate picture of COVID in the province, according to Nazeem Muhajarine, an epidemiologist at the University of Saskatchewan.
For weeks, doctors have been calling on Moe to impose more health measures. In a letter dated Oct. 21, medical health officers once again pleaded with the provincial government to implement gathering limits and other recommendations to combat COVID-19.
