As of Thursday, about 15 percent of Saskatchewan residents have received a flu shot. The Community Respiratory Disease Surveillance Program (CRISP) reported Thursday that flu cases are increasing with 61 percent of cases in children and youth up to 19 years old. “With an increase in respiratory illnesses this fall, including influenza, all residents should be up to date with available vaccinations,” said the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Saqib Shahab. “In Saskatchewan, we are fortunate to have safe and effective vaccines for influenza and COVID-19. However, COVID-19 is not the flu, and the COVID-19 vaccines will not protect you from the flu. The best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu is to get your annual flu shot.” Story continues below ad Shahab said he advises people to wear masks, but noted that the school mask mandate may not help.

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“The kids do all their after-school activities. Children socialize, sleep, all those things that are important for normal child development. I think a lot of transmission happens in social settings in the household. So I think we need to make sure that schools are mask-friendly.” He said he has spoken with medical health officials and a mask mandate is probably not feasible at this point. “Never say never to anything.” “A number of respiratory diseases are currently putting pressure on Saskatchewan’s acute care system,” Shahab said. Current trend

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“The best way to protect yourself from the flu is to get vaccinated with common sense measures like staying home when you’re sick, washing your hands often and choosing to wear a mask when you think it’s appropriate.” Flu shots can be obtained at participating pharmacies, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) clinics, and some doctors’ and nurses’ offices. Dr. Athena McConnell, who is a pediatric infectious disease specialist, said there are more children coming to the emergency room at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital than in the summer, adding that the easing of COVID-19 measures and the lack of children’s painkillers are contributing to the biggest numbers. Story continues below ad

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“When we have families who don’t have access to Tylenol and Advil to bring down their children’s fevers, there’s going to be more stress. And some of that will lead to families bringing their children into an emergency situation … because they don’t have the measures at home to be able to care for those children at home,” McConnell said. The Saskatoon Public School District said it is seeing an increase in absences due to illness compared to the last average school year in 2019. The administrator of Safe Schools Saskatchewan says parents have expressed a lot of concern about feeling pressured to send kids to school when parents and teachers know kids shouldn’t be there because they’re just spreading more viruses. “There’s pressure on working parents to use the school as daycare,” said Margi Corbett, who is also a retired teacher. “There is pressure on teachers to allow children to stay all day and not send them home in the middle of the day because their parents are not home. There’s a lot of pressure just on the number of absences … parents and teachers are feeling the pressure.” Corbett says she would like to see blankets mandated in all indoor spaces and to see improved ventilation in classrooms. Story continues below ad — With files by Jeanelle Mandes 5:30 Dr. Isaac Bogoch answers questions about masks, hospitals and medication for children Previous Video Next Video © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.