Sunday’s data includes information for December 25th, 26th and 27th.  During that time there were 559 new cases reported, and 500 recoveries, bringing the active case count to 3,398.  The provincial totals now show 14,814 confirmed cases, 11,275 recoveries and 141 deaths.

Of the seven deaths in Saskatchewan, two new deaths were seniors in their 80s reported in the North West zone. Two new deaths of individuals in their 70s were reported in the North Central zone. One person in their 30’s from the North West died. And two people in their 80s, one each, from Regina and the South East zone, who tested positive from COVID-19 have passed away.

5,079 tests were reported between the three days in Saskatchewan.

Of the 14,814 cases in the province:
• 610 cases are travelers;
• 7,079 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 3,363 have no known exposures; and
• 3,762 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan to date:
• 653 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 3,144 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 5,292 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 3,801 are in the 40-59 age range; 1,930 are in the 60-79 age range; and 642 are in the 80-plus range. Confirmation of age is pending for five cases.
• 50 per cent of the cases are female and 50 per cent are male.
• 141 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
Of 14,814 confirmed cases:
• 4,212 cases are from the Saskatoon area
• 3,537 cases are from the north area (1,364 north west, 1,682 north central, 491 north east)
• 2,884 cases are from the Regina area
• 1,614 cases are from the far north (892 far north west, 106 far north central, 616 far north east)
• 1,532 cases are from the south (556 south west, 532 south central, 444 south east)
• 908 cases are from the central area (335 central west, 573 central east)
• 127 cases have pending residence information
To date, 420,620 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of December 22, 2020 when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 252,000 people tested per million population. The national rate was 354,978 people tested per million population.

From December 25-27, 5,079 COVID-19 tests were reported to be processed in Saskatchewan (December 25: 2,422; December 26: 1,442; December 27: 1,215).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 180 (14.9 new cases per 100,000 population) and is now available on the Government of Saskatchewan website. This chart compares today’s average to data collected over the past several months. Please visit https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

Reconciliation of Hospitalized Residents

The provincial dashboard reports that 182 people are in hospital. One hundred fifty-six (156) people are receiving inpatient care, and 26 people are in intensive care. Saskatchewan has updated definitions of the COVID-19 infectious period to align with national definitions. This resulted in the number of individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 being under-reported. Validation of case numbers is underway for patients in hospital.

These are not new hospitalizations. They are residents who are not infectious and are considered recovered, but who are still receiving care for complications of COVID-19 illness. The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working on a process to ensure these numbers are included in the daily case reports. The provincial dashboard will have a notation added while this process is finalized. The Ministry of Health is currently reviewing how these cases are reported in other Canadian jurisdictions.

Drive-thru Testing Sites’ Holiday Hours

As we move through the holiday season, please be aware that the COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will have modified hours. Please check the Government of Saskatchewan website for dates and times for drive-thru testing here.

Case Information Posting through December
The daily provincial case information, including news release and dashboard, will be posted December 29 through December 31. Updates will not be available on December 28 and January 1. Case information from those dates will be included in the next scheduled information update.

Public Health Measures
For more information on the current public health measures or to see the Public Health Order, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.