No mask mandate in the works for Saskatchewan despite rise in colds and flus

It seems sickness is on the rise in Saskatchewan — and spreading quickly.

To many, it might come as a shock to suddenly experience illness from colds and flus after two years of COVID-19 restrictions and precautions.

Those public health measures, though, are exactly the reason respiratory illnesses were essentially non-issues over the past two winter seasons.

Microbiologist Joseph Blondeau said having restrictions on gathering sizes and mask mandates for nearly all indoor spaces kept people from getting sick from more than just COVID-19.

“When we‘ve been under these COVID restrictions, we really haven’t seen the type of respiratory virus activity that we’re seeing for this respiratory season,” Blondeau said Tuesday.

Not having those public health restrictions in place anymore — and with most people choosing not to don a mask on their own — combined with the short-lasting immunity that comes with respiratory viruses is setting up people in Saskatchewan for sickness this winter.

“That’s nothing new, we’ve known that for decades if not centuries,” Blondeau said, “but we’ve got this huge susceptible population to these respiratory viruses that we haven’t seen for the last couple of years.”

Having gone through a global pandemic, Blondeau said it’s a brand new world Saskatchewan and the globe is experiencing now — largely thanks to high COVID-19 immunization rates.

The great masking experiment

The pandemic allowed for one major experiment to take place, the microbiologist noted, to answer the question: What would be a respiratory season in individuals who are following a mask mandate?

It’s an experiment most people took part in and ultimately showed if a population will adhere to public health measures, the spreading of viruses can be stemmed and largely prevented.

“We know masks work,” Blondeau said, though he noted a mask mandate would never have been considered before the pandemic.

“But because we know that masking works, because we know that social distancing works, and because we’ve just come through the pandemic, it is a logical recommendation that individuals go back to wearing masks if they feel so inclined in order to protect themselves and others and maybe family members from transmission or from catching of these particular viruses.”

Now, it’s individual choice as to whether someone wants to wear a mask and reduce their risk and that of those around them. It’s a measure people can take, but Blondeau thinks people are still tired of wearing masks.

“We’re going back to catching the cold and just sort of toughing it out for a few days,” he said.

At this point, chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab is seeing what he expected when it comes to COVID, transmission and mask-wearing.

“People feel comfortable wearing or not wearing a mask based on their own risk assessment,” Shahab told reporters Tuesday.

He has been following the developments of COVID and flu season in other provinces and the United States and advised that people do wear masks, but said a mask mandate is not in the works for Saskatchewan at this point. He doesn’t believe that’s something medical health officers and schools want to impose.

“At this point, it may not be that helpful in any case, because … children are doing all their full-scale activities, children are socializing (and) having sleepovers. All of that is important for normal child development,” Shahab said.

He said the most transmission of respiratory viruses currently is in the home and in social settings.

“A mask mandate is probably not a feasible thing at this point,” Shahab said. “Never say never to anything but at this point, I think it’s not like 2019.”

He explained that in 2019 and the years prior to COVID, it was only respiratory illnesses that would cause concern. In 2020 and 2021, with public health measures, those concerns focused more solely on COVID-19. Now people have to consider their own health and their family’s health.

Shahab did encourage schools to be mask-friendly and to especially accommodate children who have underlying risk factors to help them be comfortable with wearing a mask themselves. He also said those with underlying health conditions should wear a mask.

The chief medical health officer said he will wear a mask in crowded indoor situations or to visit a vulnerable person.

“Right now, it’s a bit tricky with the respiratory viruses because we haven’t been exposed, but we’re still not seeing those large outbreaks,” said Shahab, who noted the province’s immunity is much stronger.

Much like pre-pandemic, when someone with the flu would come to a party and not everyone would get sick, COVID is no longer as rampant with infecting those in a home, for example.

“Which, I think, speaks to the immunity that we’ve all developed,” Shahab noted.

Shahab reiterated that people who are symptomatic should stay home until they feel better, whether sick with COVID or a cold.

He also advised people who are sick but need to leave their homes to wear a mask when they do.

It’s not concerning to Shahab to see people out and about not wearing a mask. He said people are evaluating their own health risks and are back to enjoying things they did before COVID-19, which he said is great to see.

Sickness in Saskatchewan

Six to eight respiratory viruses are currently circulating in Saskatoon and throughout Saskatchewan, Blondeau said.

The big concern, however, is the return of Influenza A. Blondeau said that prior to COVID, yearly campaigns encouraged people to get vaccinated against that flu strain because of its lethal potential.

Blondeau said the virus can be particularly devastating to the very young and very old, though people of any age and health status can succumb to it.

The vaccine program is designed to provide some level of protection to people that will reduce their likelihood of infection. With COVID having kiboshed the past two flu seasons, Blondeau said Influenza A is now back with a vengeance.

“We’d like to see the immunization rates higher for Flu A,” Blondeau said.

Respiratory synctial virus (RSV) is also making the rounds and can be especially dangerous to very young children, including newborns and those under six months old.

Blondeau said the illness can cause a lower respiratory tract infection and get into someone’s lungs, making it much more impactful on the body than an illness that stays in the upper respiratory tract, which includes the nose, mouth and throat.

RSV is also more impactful for older populations and can make people quite sick, though generally not enough to be hospitalized.

That trend is similar to rhinovirus as well — the virus that will leave people feeling as though their cold seems worse than the last one they had.

In both cases, Blondeau said people will feel lousy for the days they’re symptomatic before they’re able to recover.