1 person infected with COVID-19 could lead to more than 59K cases, says chief medical officer

A letter from the Saskatchewan Health Authority's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Shaw implores residents to do their part in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus and shares a startling statistic.

"A single person infected with COVID-19 can ultimately result in over 59,000 cases of COVID-19 as it is passed along from person to person over time," Shaw says in the letter.

The SHAshared the letter on Facebook Saturday night, titled "We need our 13th man."

"We need Rider Nation to be our 13th man on the field," Shaw says.

"We need you to limit the spread. We need you to take this seriously, stay home whenever and wherever possible, and make every effort you can to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19."

Shaw says social distancing, isolation measures, following gathering restrictions and regular hand washing will cut down the transmission numbers and delay the spread so it's more manageable for the health system.

As of Saturday afternoon, there were 134 cases of COVID-19 in the province. Six people were in the hospital, including three in ICU.