The Saskatchewan government says the province has 29 new cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday. To date, there have been 1,479 cases of the virus in the province. There are 17 new cases in Saskatoon while the rest are dispersed through Regina, the South West, South Central and North West zones. Of the 17 reported in the Saskatoon zone, 11 are in a Hutterite colony outside the city.
Because there are 29 new recoveries, the same as the number of new cases, the number of active cases in the province remains static at 165. Eleven people are in hospital and five of those are in intensive care.
Of the 1,479 cases in the province:
208 cases are travellers;
730 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
406 have no known exposures; and
135 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
64 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
352 cases are from the far north area (346 far north west, 0 far north central, 6 far north east), 337 cases are from the south area (160 south west, 166 south central, 11 south east), 232 cases are from the north area (101 north west, 66 north central, 65 north east), 242 cases are from the Saskatoon area, 190 cases are from the central area (160 central west, 30 central east) and 125 cases are from the Regina area.
236 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
465 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 471 are in the 40-59 age range; 253 are in the 60-79 age range; and 54 are in the 80-plus range.
50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
20 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 113,972 COVID19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of August 9, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 82,935 people tested per million population. The national rate was 119,854 people tested per million population.
Yesterday, 927 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.
COVID-19 Testing
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working to increase testing capacity to 3,000 tests per day by the middle of August and 4,000 tests per day by the beginning of September.
COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811. Contact your physician’s office if you are experiencing worsening symptoms. If you require urgent care, call 911.
Saskatchewan Health Authority Advisories
Over the past few days, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has issued several precautionary advisories for Regina and Saskatoon regarding the possibility of COVID-19 transmission at local businesses. Residents can find more details on these advisories at https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/.
Everyone should continue to take measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, including:
Practice proper cough and sneezing etiquette (into a tissue or the bend of your elbow);
Wash your hands often with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
Stay home if you are sick; and
Practice physical distancing and wear a mask when in situations where recommended physical distancing will be difficult to maintain.
You should always be aware of who you have been in contact with over the past two weeks. If you test positive for COVID-19, these are the people who will need to be contacted by public health.
