Another record day for vaccinations in the province.   Saskatchewan saw 13,170 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 282,065.  This is the highest daily doses administered to date.

There are 321 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan Sunday, bringing the provincial total to 36,305 cases.  Three cases were found to be out-of-province residents and were removed from Saskatoon (2) and South East (1) zones.  Four cases that were previously not reported were added to Saskatoon (2) and South East (2) zones.

There was one new death, of a person in their sixties in the Central East zone.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (6), Far North East (2), North West (21), North Central (8), North East (6), Saskatoon (78), Central West (4), Central East (12), Regina (120), South West (3), South Central (17) and South East (36) zones.  Eight (8) new cases have pending residence information.  Three (3) cases with pending residence information have been assigned to Far North West (1) and North West (2) zones.  There are a total of 33,347 recoveries and 2,504 cases are considered active.

One hundred and ninety-nine (199) people are in hospital.  One hundred and fifty-three (153) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (2), Far North East (1), North West (4), North Central (3), North East (2), Saskatoon (43), Central East (12), Regina (78), South West (1) and South East (7).  Forty-six (46) people are in intensive care: North Central (5), Saskatoon (9), Central East (3), Regina (25), South West (1) and South Central (3).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 249 (20.3 new cases per 100,000).   A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available on the Government of Saskatchewan website at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,601 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 10, 2021.

To date, 704,555 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.   As of April 9, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 590,539 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 759,783 tests performed per million population.

As of April 11, 3,271 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North West (7), Far North East (1), North West (9), North Central (39), North East (3), Saskatoon (171), Central West (12), Central East (82), Regina (2,271), South West (28), South Central (286) and South East (310) zones.  There are 52 cases with residence pending.

These were previously reported as “presumptive positives,” but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations.

There were zero (0) new lineage results being reported today.  Of the 1,435 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 1,426 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).  The Regina zone accounts for 1,131 (79 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note that these VOC may have been initially identified via means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening) and that whole genome sequencing results to identify lineage are included in the screening results.

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among healthcare workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

All Public Health Measures Extended to April 26

The Chief Medical Health Officer has extended the provincial public health orders announced Tuesday, March 9 and the Regina and area revisions announced Tuesday, March 24.  The orders will remain in effect until April 26, 2021, and will be reviewed at that time.

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Regina and area, revisions were made March 24 including: restricting private indoor gatherings to immediate household members only; all restaurants and licensed establishments must close for in-person dining; and most event venues supporting 30 persons or less are not permitted to operate.

Travel is also not recommended in or out of the Regina area unless absolutely necessary.  It is strongly recommended that all individuals in the Regina area able to work from home do so.

Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

Please note: Variants of concern (VOC) are beginning to rise across Saskatchewan, particularly in the Regina, Moose Jaw, Estevan, Weyburn and Saskatoon areas.  Residents in the entire province are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures:

• Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces
• Wash non-medical masks daily
• Maintain physical distancing
• Wash your hands frequently
• Reduce activities outside of your home.  Order take-out or curbside pick-up.  If you are able to work from home, work from home at this time.
• Avoid all unnecessary travel to and from Moose Jaw and Weyburn.

All Saskatchewan residents should monitor active cases in their area and adjust their activity accordingly.  Active and new case information for each area can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test.  If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known.  Testing information is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.

Vaccination stats

The 13,170 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far North West (223), Far North Central (1), Far North East (78), North West (811), North Central (397), North East (591), Saskatoon (2,072), Central West (692), Central East (1,427), Regina (3,085), South West (725), South Central (1020) and South East (1,621).  There were 427 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Fifty per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 50+ have received their first dose:

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found on the dashboard at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.  As the source database for vaccine information, Panorama is subject to continuous data updates which may result in revised counts, day over day.

Vaccination Booking System Eligibility Moves To Ages 55+ Province Wide

As of 8 a.m., Friday, April 9, Saskatchewan’s vaccine booking system eligibility was expanded to all individuals 55 years of age and older.  Eligible residents ages 55+ can book their appointment online at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine, or by phone at 1-833-SASKVAX.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Drive Thru Vaccination Clinics in Regina

The Regina COVID-19 vaccine drive thru will be administering Pfizer/Biontech vaccines Sunday, April 11 for residents aged 51, 52, 53 and 54 years only, with possible changes to age ranges as demand allows in the coming days.  This clinic will be first come first serve, open 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily at Evraz Place on the Regina Exhibition grounds.  For further information on all drive-thru clinics, including wait times, see https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/COVID-19-Vaccine-Drive-Thru-Wait-Times.aspx.