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Top flight: Vital ventilators headed for India from Sask.

Saskatchewan is sending 100 ventilators to help India in its battle against a surge in COVID-19 cases that have strained hospitals.

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Ventilators from Saskatchewan are now winging their way to India.

The provincial government held a news conference at the Regina International Airport on Wednesday as boxes of ventilators were loaded up for shipping to the country that is battling a surge in COVID-19 cases and a shortage of medical supplies.

“We’re thinking about you,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said as he stood on a wind-whipped tarmac, noting Saskatchewan residents have a history of taking care of their neighbours. “Sometimes our neighbours are around the world,” he added.

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When the province first announced its plan earlier this month, the government stated it had maintained an excess supply of ventilators to support patients in the province, including more than 700 critical care, subacute, and non-invasive ventilators. The 100 ventilators being sent include 30 critical care and 70 subacute ventilators. Following the shipment to India, Saskatchewan will maintain an excess supply of more than 600 critical care, subacute and non-invasive ventilators.

Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman, front left, and Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, front right, walk toward a plane that will be loaded with a donation of ventilators at the Regina International Airport in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 12, 2021.
Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman, front left, and Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, front right, walk toward a plane that will be loaded with a donation of ventilators at the Regina International Airport in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 12, 2021. Photo by BRANDON HARDER /Regina Leader-Post

“We are very fortunate in this province to have extra ventilators that we had ordered very early on in the pandemic,” Jeremy Harrison, minister of trade and export development, told reporters. He said the donated ventilators carry a total value of $3.5 million

Harrison also gave kudos to Air Canada for helping with the logistics of sending the equipment and picking up the expense. He said the ventilators loaded Wednesday will head to India, and any remainder that don’t fit will have a stopover in Toronto before going overseas.

“Saskatchewan and India have a very, very important, significant (and) positive relationship,” Harrison said. He noted India is one of Saskatchewan’s largest trading partners. One of the province’s last trade missions pre-pandemic was to India, and Saskatchewan just opened an international office in Delhi.

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Asked if the fact Saskatchewan has the ability to send ventilators points to the end of the pandemic here, Merriman replied, “We’re by no means out of this.”

He reiterated the importance of people getting their first and second vaccinations. “You are not fully vaccinated until you get that second shot.”

He said while people may not be able to find appointments in their immediate vicinity as demand and age eligibility increases, “it might be in the next town.”

Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, centre, speaks to media in front of a plane that will be loaded with a donation of ventilators at the Regina International Airport in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 12, 2021.
Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, centre, speaks to media in front of a plane that will be loaded with a donation of ventilators at the Regina International Airport in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 12, 2021. Photo by BRANDON HARDER /Regina Leader-Post

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