The Saskatchewan government has announced that COVID-19 testing will expand starting soon. The province says it will be available to any Saskatchewan resident working outside the home, particularly those returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. There are at-risk populations who will be proactively tested and details of that plan will be announced next week.

To date, 38,728 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of Thursday another five cases of COVID-19 were reported in the province bringing the provincial total to 582.

Four of the new cases are in the Far North in the La Loche region and one is at the Pasqua Hospital in Regina. Dr. Shahab says contact tracing is under way, including staff and any patients who may have been in contact at the hospital and at the independent supported living facility the patient is from, but there is no evidence at this point of any transmission in the hospital.

One hundred seventy eight cases in the province are considered active. Thirteen more people have recovered. At 398 to date, 68% of those stricken with COVID-19 have recovered. There are 10 people in hospital and of those three are in ICU in Saskatoon.

The following at-risk populations will be proactively tested:
All patients upon admission or in advance of a planned admission to an acute care hospital for a stay anticipated to be greater than 24 hours. This includes all expectant mothers entering a health facility to give birth.
Immunocompromised asymptomatic individuals, including cancer patients in advance of undergoing immunosuppressive procedures such as chemotherapy.
All health staff working with immunocompromised patients.
Mobile (worksite) testing in high volume work settings (factories, industrial settings, etc.)
This is in addition to current testing requirements for:
All residents identified by public health as a contact of someone known or suspected of having COVID-19.
Individuals identified by public health at a high risk due to active spread of COVID-19 in their workplace or community.
All residents upon admission and re-admission to long-term and personal care homes.
All residents and staff in long-term and personal care homes upon notification of a COVID-19 positive resident or staff member.

Of the 582 cases in the province:

• 139 cases are travellers;
• 302 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 67 have no known exposures; and
• 76 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 48 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 210 of the cases are from the Far North, 163 are from the Saskatoon area, 106 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South and 12 from the Central region.
• 81 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 205 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 180 are in the 40-59 age range; 98 are in the 60-79 age range; and 18 are in the 80-plus range.
• 49 per cent of the cases are females and 51 per cent are males.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.