Canadian Armed Forces releases details about Saskatchewan COVID-19 support

The first aeromedical evacuation flight arrived in Saskatoon on Monday evening and departed for Kingston, Ont., on Tuesday with one patient.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is releasing more details about how military personnel are being deployed to help Saskatchewan’s overburdened health-care system.

CAF officials say there are three lines of operation currently being sent to support the province:

CAF personnel will only begin work after completing mandated training and are expected to continue to support SHA staff until Nov. 17, but the CAF says it is prepared to extend this deadline if necessary.

CAF officials say an Aeromedical Bio-containment Evacuation System (ABES) has been installed on a C-130J Hercules aircraft based out of Trenton, Ont., and is being used to transfer patients between Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The ABES’s isolation unit allows multiple infected patients to be kept and treated by medical staff while ensuring the safety of the aircraft’s crew.

The CAF says the aircraft returns to 8 Wing Trenton on a regular basis to change aircrews.

The first aeromedical evacuation flight arrived in Saskatoon on Monday evening and departed for Kingston, Ont., on Tuesday with one patient.