The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre has seen a rise in total cases to 84, up from 47 last week.

Of those, 14 are patients, including 4 in ICU, 31 are healthcare staff, 6 visitors and 33 secondary cases, meaning someone connected to a family member or transmission inside the facility.

Janna-Lea Yawney is the Interim Director of Acute Care for the Yorkton area. She says the outbreaks remain in the same areas: 1st East and 1st West Medical Units as well as the Intensive Care Unit, while the 2nd West Obstetrics Unit and 2nd South Medicine and Pediatrics Unit are still considered suspected outbreaks.

Yawney says healthcare staff are feeling anxiety, but supports have been made available to them.

“To support them we do have some peer support and crisis intervention support management that we have offered them. Many staff have taken these avenues and have found it very helpful.” she said.

“We’re finding that with these offerings the well-being and resiliency is improving. But its definitely challenging for the staff day-to-day.”

While the long-shifts and constant PPE use has proven to be taxing, there is some hope with the eventual arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Yawney mentioned staff are “completing the education” for the day when the vaccine will be made available for them.

“We don’t have a date that’s very firmed up but certainly there are numerous people working on this.” she noted.

“We also have to understand that its another layer of protection. It’s not going to be the ‘be-all-end-all’ but it will certainly provide some relief.”