Active cases of COVID-19 went up marginally in Friday’s update from the Ministry of Health as there were more new infections reported than the seven-day average in Saskatchewan.

In addition, the provincial death toll from the novel coronavirus is up to 491 after a person in their 40s from Regina, another in their 60s from the Far North East zone, a senior in their 70s from the South Central zone and a residence pending fatality of person in the 80-plus age range were included in Friday’s update. More than half of today’s 264 new cases were reported from Saskatchewan’s two largest cities…79 in Regina and 64 in Saskatoon. Coupled with 252 recoveries, that leaves the active case count in the province at 2,426…of which 173 individuals are in hospital, including 37 receiving treatment in an I-C-U.

All 13 zones in Saskatchewan reported vaccinations being performed on Thursday. There were 5,758 shots administered, bringing the provincial total up to 427,739. The province has seen 81% of residents aged 60 and over having received their first dose with 61% aged 40 and over having gotten their first jab and first shots being administered to 41% of the provincial population aged 18-and-over.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 5,758 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 427,739.

The 5,758 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 225; Far North Central, 3; Far North East, 190; North West, 851; North Central, 651; North East, 471; Saskatoon, 1,576; Central West, 148; Central East, 193; Regina, 581; South West, 162; South Central, 115; and South East, 417.  There were 175 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Eighty-one per cent of Saskatchewan residents over age 60 have received their first dose.  Sixty-one per cent of those 40+ have received their first dose.  Forty-one per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found 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.

Saskatchewan is scheduled to receive 9,300 doses of Janssen vaccine the week of May 3. This vaccine will primarily be offered in drive-thru vaccination clinics with details available in the coming days.

Vaccination Booking System Now Open to Ages 40+ 

Effective today, eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program has expanded to age 40 and older, except for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, where it has expanded to age 30 and older.

Remaining prioritized front-line workers are also now eligible. A list of those occupations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vax-eligibility. This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-in, pharmacies and mobile clinics.

Eligible priority groups under 40 years of age may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system.  The online booking system is only available to those 40+, and public health must ensure residents under 40 are not scheduled in a clinic providing AstraZeneca.

Eligible residents under 40 years will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).

Please remember that demand for appointments outweighs current available supply.  There may be clinic options in communities outside the major urban centres and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization. Additional clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Appointments can be made online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.  People who do not have a cell phone or email account, need assistance in booking, or are providing documentation for priority eligibility status must book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811.  Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911.  Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.

Drive Thru and Walk In Vaccination Clinics Starting Saturday

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive thru and walk in clinics throughout the province starting Saturday, May 1 in support of Saskatchewan’s plan to vaccinate as many residents as possible, as quickly as possible.  For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.  All clinics are available to residents 40 years and older.

* Location and details will be confirmed the week of May 3.  Updates will be provided throughout the week.

Vaccines have been distributed to these locations to support a one-day clinic only; clinics may close early if supply is administered.

If you have an appointment booked at a mass vaccination clinic but decide to attend a drive thru or walk in location, please go to https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking to cancel your booked appointment.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 264 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on April 30, bringing the provincial total to 41,098 cases. Ten Saskatchewan residents tested out-of-province have been added to the counts for the following zones: North West, 1; Regina, 5; Saskatoon, 3; and South Central, 1.

Four new deaths are reported today in the following groups: One in the 40-49 age group from the Regina zone; one in the 60-69 age group from the Far North East zone; one in the 70-79 age group from the South Central zone; and one in the 60-69 age group with residence pending.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 10; North West, 24; North Central, 15; North East, 5; Saskatoon, 63; Central West, 2; Central East, 11;  Regina, 79; South West, 11; South Central, 14; and South East, 25.  Five new cases are pending residence information.  Three cases pending residence have been assigned to the following zones: North Central, 1; North West, 1; and South East, 1.

Recoveries total 38,181 and 2,426 cases are considered active.

There are 173 people in hospital.  One hundred and thirty-six people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East, 1; North West, 6; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 54; Central East, 8; Regina, 52; South West, 1; South Central, 3; and South East, 7.  Thirty-seven people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 9; Central East, 2; and Regina, 23.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 241 (19.7 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,916 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 29, 2021.

To date, 769,787 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of April 28, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 645,615 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 824,233.

As of April 29, 6,794 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 121; Far North East, 3; North West, 203; North Central, 111; North East, 20; Saskatoon, 765; Central West, 81; Central East, 296; Regina, 3,717; South West, 184; South Central, 510; and South East, 700. There are 83 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 130 new lineage results reported today.  Of the 2,522 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,491 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 22 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).  The Regina zone accounts for 1,653 (66 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note that these VOCs may have been initially identified by means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening).  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 health care 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.

Public Health Measures

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk throughout the province, the Chief Medical Health Officer has extended all current provincial public health orders until May 10, 2021.  The orders will be reviewed at that time.  Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

All residents 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.  Work from home if you are able to do so.
• Avoid all unnecessary travel throughout the province at this time.

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.

Enforcing Public Health Measures 

Enforcement of public health orders is permitted under The Public Health Act, 1994.  Public health inspectors will be supported in their efforts to ticket violators quickly to ensure that businesses and events are brought into compliance as quickly as possible, in addition to the enforcement efforts that have been undertaken by police agencies throughout the province.

On April 21, Saskatchewan Health Authority public health inspectors issued a ticket for $2,800 to an individual in Regina for failure to comply with a public health order.  Note that under The Health Information Protection Act, the Ministry of Health cannot disclose the names of individuals who have received fines.

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