It is a phrase many people are starting to cringe at when they hear it - “The New Normal”. 

For many medical professionals, they are recognizing it as a new reality, since it isn’t likely COVID-19 will be going away anytime soon. As health professionals and laboratories around the world race to find a vaccine for the virus, people are taking the steps needed to limit their exposure, and the possible spread, of the virus which has taken hold around the world.  

Dr. David Torr is the medical lead for South Rural Saskatchewan. He explained, while the vaccine is being worked on, it is something that will still take a while to be available. After the vaccine is developed, then human trials need to be done, and there are also issues regarding licensing. If those go without a hitch, there are other challenges that will need to be tackled before it is readily available everywhere. 

“Then, actual production, which is no joke,” Dr. Torr said. “Guess what – there will be a scramble for which country gets the vaccine first, and how much is allocated, how is it allocated, so one year is an optimistic timeframe.” 

While the world waits on a vaccine for COVID-19, a number of guidelines have been put in place here in Saskatchewan. This includes limitations on the size of public gatherings, calling for the maintaining of physical distancing, and proper hygiene such as frequent hand washing. It has also been recommended by the Saskatchewan Health Authority for those who can’t maintain physical distancing to wear a mask, if necessary. 

With cases continuing to pop up throughout the province, Dr. Torr pointed to another key factor in working to help identify, and hopefully reduce, the spread of COVID-19 – contact tracing. 

"It's very important to get contact tracing, especially close contact, because of those situations where you can easily spread the virus without knowing it not only to those closest around you like family but anywhere else you go, for example, shopping.” 

To help with contact tracing, if the need should arise, Dr. Torr recommends staying aware of the places you have been over the past two weeks. He suggests making a schedule of your daily errands, which makes contact tracing even more effective if that information is ever needed. 

There are currently 289 active cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, with active cases in each of the six regions identified by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Here in the south region, there are currently 153 active cases, the most of any region in the province.