For the second straight day, there were no COVID-19-related deaths reported in Saskatchewan while the positive rate of novel coronavirus tests was less than five per cent for a third consecutive day, according to Thursday’s update from the Ministry of Health. The province’s total fatalities due to COVID-19 remains at 522. There were 146 new cases of the virus recorded Thursday from 3,069 tests, a positive rate of four-point-eight per cent. Add in 147 recoveries and the active case count in Saskatchewan was down one from Wednesday at 1,785. There are four more hospitalized cases of COVID-19 in the province at 138 Thursday, but two fewer infections in an I-C-U at 26. The seven-day average for new cases is down to 169.

       Otherwise, all but four of 262 confirmed variants of concern reported Thursday were of the U-K strain. The other four were Brazilian. All but 113 of the 4,848 confirmed V-O-Cs in Saskatchewan to date are of the U-K strain. In addition, the total number of vaccinations in the province surpassed 620,000 after 4,777 doses were administered on Wednesday.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 146 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 20, bringing the provincial total to 45,128 cases.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 2; Far North East, 2; North West, 10; North Central, 11; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 52; Central East, 18; Regina, 26; South West, 2; South Central, 8; and South East, 12.  Two cases are pending residence information.  One case with pending residence information has been assigned to the North West zone.

Recoveries total 42,821 and 1,785 cases are considered active.

There are 138 people in hospital.  One hundred and twelve people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 7; North Central, 7; Saskatoon, 44; Central East, 5; Regina, 42; South West, 1; South Central, 3; and South East, 3.  Twenty-six people are in intensive care: North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 9; and Regina, 15.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 169 (13.8 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 3,069 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 19, 2021.

To date, 833,697 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of May 18, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 700,532 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 888,144.

As of May 19, 9,687 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 220; Far North East, 19; North West, 507; North Central, 335; North East, 57; Saskatoon, 1,409; Central West, 101; Central East, 490; Regina, 4,472; South West, 329; South Central, 700; and South East, 989. There are 59 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 262 new lineage results reported today.  Of the 4,848 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 4,735 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 96 are P.1 (Brazilian), 10 are B.1.351 (SA), and seven are B.1.617 (Indian).

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.

Weekly Reporting of Testing Numbers and Cases for Youth

The trends of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children are being monitored.  The weekly report of cases and testing numbers for children aged 0-19, including data by age and positivity rates, has been posted at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-Safe-Schools-Plan.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 4,777 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 620,236.

The 4,777 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 124; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 22; North West, 487; North Central, 351; North East, 310; Saskatoon, 966; Central West, 450; Central East, 365; Regina, 877; South West, 120; South Central, 178; and South East, 408.  There were 118 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-five per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Sixty-eight per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

Status of Population Vaccinations, as of May 19, 2021
Group	Estimated Population	Received First Dose	Fully Vaccinated
Age 80+	51,307	45,603 (89%)	14,731 (29%)
Age 70-79	79,818	70,069 (88%)	6,134 (8%)
Age 60-69	138,471	113,555 (82%)	6,052 (4%)
Age 50-59	147,466	103,235 (70%)	7,397 (5%)
Age 40-49	151,896	94,092 (62%)	6,339 (4%)
Age 30-39	183,246	86,302 (47%)	6,318 (3%)
Age 18-29	189,909	54,050 (28%)	4,527 (2%)
Age 12-17	90,987	1,747 (2%)	60 (0%)

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.

This week’s shipment of 63,180 Pfizer doses has arrived in Saskatchewan.  These doses are now being distributed to Regina, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) South, ISC North, ISC North Battleford, Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) Prince Albert, and pharmacies throughout the province.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 12+

Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program expanded today to age 12 and older,achieving the last step in Saskatchewan’s age-based first dose immunization program.

All residents ages 12+ may book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy.  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.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province.  For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

The current list of pharmacies offering vaccinations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  Find participating pharmacies near you using the map tool.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

There is a vaccination clinic in Drayton, North Dakota where eligible truck drivers and essential energy workers are able to receive their vaccine.  This clinic is open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Second Dose Booking Available for Priority Populations

Second dose vaccinations are underway for anyone who is 85 and older or who received their first dose before February 15.  Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose.

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose.  Residents who meet at least one of these criteria will be eligible for their second dose.  The following table is a tentative guideline; timelines may change due to vaccine availability.

Astra Zeneca is not included in this table as we await advice on the use of Astra Zeneca for timing of second doses.

Eligibility for 2nd Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
Date eligibility changes	Eligible Age	OR	Eligible Based on Date of 1st Dose (on or before)
17-May	85	OR	15-Feb
24-May	80	OR	1-Mar
31-May	70	OR	15-Mar
7-Jun	65	OR	22-Mar
14-Jun	55	OR	7-Apr
21-Jun	45	OR	15-Apr
28-Jun	Eligibility opens based on date of first dose only		1-May
5-Jul			15-May
12-Jul			30-May
19-Jul			14-Jun
26-Jul			28-Jun

Second dose vaccinations will be available at participating pharmacies across the province, through the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) drive-thru and walk-in clinics as well as through clinics operated by Indigenous Services Canada and the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority (NITHA).

Second dose vaccinations can be booked online or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).   Be ready by knowing the date you received your first vaccine.  If you do not know the date or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, they can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

During your second dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised to ensure that you are receiving the same vaccine brand for your second dose.

At this time, public health is planning to offer your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to match the brand of your first dose.  National reviews of the safety and efficacy of interchanging the second dose brand are on-going and the provincial policy on maintaining the same brand for the second dose may be updated following this review.