On Saturday the Province reported 99 new cases of COVID-19, it was the second straight day where case numbers did not break over a hundred.  Along with 147 recoveries the active case count once again dropped, this time to 1,241.  Three new deaths were reported by the Ministry of Health, two seniors over the age of 80 from the North West zone and one person over 60 from Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan now has less than a hundred people in hospital with 98 people receiving treatment, nineteen of which are in intensive care.

Of the new cases the North West had the most with nineteen, while Saskatoon recorded sixteen and Regina had eleven.  The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 117 (9.6 per 100,000).

Vaccines Reported

An additional 16,667 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 787,130.

The 16,667 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 320; Far North Central, 28; Far North East, 92; North West, 893; North Central, 1,017; North East, 703; Saskatoon, 3,865; Central West, 520; Central East, 1,596; Regina, 4,639; South West, 520; South Central, 1,055; and South East, 1,179.  There were 240 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-eight per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Seventy-two per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty-seven per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose, while 64 per cent of those 12+ have also received their first dose.

Note: Age is calculated on the date of the most recent dose.  Someone age 69 at their first dose and 70 at their second will now be counted in the 70-79 group for both doses, resulting in a decrease in the 60-69 first dose number.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Second Dose Booking Eligibility 

All residents 12+ can receive their first dose.  Second dose vaccinations are open to residents 65+ or anyone who received their first dose before March 22, 2021.  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 are eligible for their second dose.  The following table is a tentative guideline for those who received Pfizer or Moderna for their first dose; timelines may change due to vaccine availability.

Note that all vaccine types will not be available at all clinic locations.  Vaccine types will be listed when immunization clinics are advertised.

Second dose vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.  If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

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.

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. Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 99 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 47,285 cases.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 6; Far North East, 1; North West, 19; North Central, 8; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 16; Central West, 3; Regina, 11; South West, 3; South Central, 18; and South East, 9. One new case is pending residence information. Two previously reported cases have been assigned to the Central West, 1; and North Central, 1; zones.

Three new deaths were reported today. Two deaths in the 80+ age group from the North West zone; and one death in the 60-69 age group from the Saskatoon zone.

Recoveries total 45,498 and 1,241 cases are considered active.

There are 98 people in hospital. Seventy-nine people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West, 2; North West, 11; North Central, 5; Saskatoon, 29; Central West, 1; Central East, 3; Regina, 24; South Central, 3; and South East, 1.  Nineteen people are in intensive care, including two out-of-province transfers from Manitoba: North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 10; Central East, 2; Regina, 5; and South West, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 117 (9.6 per 100,000).  View chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months.

There were 2,021 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on June 4, 2021.

To date, 872,710 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of June 3, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 734,520 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 923,680.

As of June 4, 11,216 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 263; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 66; North West, 658; North Central, 513; North East, 68; Saskatoon, 1,877; Central West, 116; Central East, 611; Regina, 4,690; South West, 384; South Central, 811; and South East, 1,089. There are 69 screened VOCs with residence pending.

New lineage results were reported for 108 Variants of Concern today. Of the 5,987 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 5,753 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 187 are P.1 (Brazilian), 37 are B.1.617 (Indian) and 10 are B.1.351 (SA).

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.

It may not be allergies or a spring cold.  Get tested for COVID-19.

Fever? Cough and headache? Fatigued or experiencing shortness of breath?  Do not “tough it out” or assume it’s spring allergies.  Stay home and seek a COVID-19 test. Testing remains one of the most important tools to limiting the spread of COVID-19 in your community.  Even if you have been recently vaccinated, it can take up to three weeks for your immune system to respond.  Vaccines are not a cure preventing all possible transmission and you remain at risk of contracting COVID-19 during that time.

COVID-19 testing is available to all residents.  You can still receive a referral for COVID-19 testing through HealthLine 811 or a health care provider, and drive-thru testing sites are available without a referral seven days a week in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert.  Information on symptoms to watch for and how to get tested is available at saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.

Step One of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is Underway

Step One of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is underway and public health orders have been updated.  Details on the Re-Opening Roadmap can be viewed here

Reminder: while the restrictions being lifted are no longer mandatory, many are still recommended.  Older persons and those with increased risk factors may wish to wait until two weeks after receiving a second dose before attending gatherings.  Transmission is generally less likely outdoors than indoors.

Step Two of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is scheduled to begin on June 20.  If we continue to remain diligent and observe public health measures, we will reach our goal of re-opening our province in the coming weeks.