More than 700 people had already signed a petition early Monday morning that asks for the provincial government to make masks mandatory in public spaces. The petition also reaches out to the Mayors of Saskatchewan’s cities and towns to step up if “the province is unwilling to do so”.
There were 42 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on Sunday, bringing the total to 1,178 cases. The new cases are located in the South (22), Central (8), Saskatoon (10) and North (2) regions. Thirty-seven cases of COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday.
Of the 1,178 reported cases, 289 are considered active. A total of 873 people have recovered.
Of the 42 cases reported, 35 are from colonies in the south, central, Saskatoon and north regions.
Thirteen people are in hospital. Nine people are receiving inpatient care; four in Saskatoon, two in the central region, two in the south and one in Regina. Four people are in intensive care; three in Saskatoon and one in Regina.
Of the 1,178 cases in the province:
198 cases are travellers;
597 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
272 have no known exposures; and
111 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
60 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
347 of the cases are from the Far North, 255 from the South, 229 are from the Saskatoon area, 131 from the North, 128 from the Central region and 88 from the Regina area.
176 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
394 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 368 are in the 40-59 age range; 203 are in the 60-79 age range; and 37 are in the 80-plus range.
51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
16 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 91,183 COVID19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of July 24, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 66,282 people tested per million population. The national rate was 100,080 people tested per million population.
Yesterday, 1,396 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.
Bored of COVID? COVID Doesn’t Care
It has been more than four months since COVID-19 arrived in Saskatchewan. It’s understandable that many people are tired or frustrated with the continued state of cautiousness. If you are feeling well or don’t know anyone who has gotten sick, it is easy to think that you do not need to be careful. However, the recent surge in COVID-19 in all regions of Saskatchewan shows that we cannot become complacent. There is no region in Saskatchewan without active cases.
Personal protective measures protect you, your friends and family. For the health and safety of your community, act as if there is a risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 anytime you go in public or meet with friends. We have seen from our past case numbers that Saskatchewan residents know what needs to be done to reduce transmission: wash your hands often, keep gatherings small and with the same group of people, maintain a physical distance of two metres, wear a mask anywhere where you cannot maintain physical distancing. We all have a responsibility to follow these guidelines.
If we all do our part to keep ourselves and others safe, we will be able to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan again.
COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811. Since introducing universal testing, there has been an increase in requests to be tested with the corresponding increase in provincial testing numbers.
The SHA is working to ensure responsive service timing. If you are experiencing worsening symptoms, contact your physician’s office. If you require urgent care, call 911.
