Five different regions of Saskatchewan each reported a single new, confirmed case of COVID-19 in Thursday’s update with a sixth case said to be pending.

That boosts the provincial total to 1,676 cases of the novel coronavirus. The report added that six people have recovered from COVID-19 for a provincial total of 1,593, leaving 59 active cases of the virus in Saskatchewan with one person receiving inpatient care at a Saskatoon hospital. The confirmed regions with a single, new case of COVID-19 are Saskatoon, Regina, Far North East, Central West and Central East.

Of the 1,676 cases in the province:

• 257 cases are travellers;
• 839 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 498 have no known exposures; and
• 82 are under investigation by local public health

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 69 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 280 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 542 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 511 are in the 40-59 age range; 285 are in the 60-79 age range; and 58 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• 24 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
• There are:
  • 428 cases from the south area (218 south west, 197 south central, 13 south east)
  • 356 cases from the far north area (349 far north west, 7 far north east)
  • 278 cases from the Saskatoon area
  • 270 cases from the north area (131 north west, 73 north central, 66 north east)
  • 205 cases from the central area (167 central west, 38 central east)
  • 138 cases from the Regina area
  • The location of one case is pending.

To date, 153,649 COVID19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of September 8, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 109,722 people tested per million population. The national rate was 157,754 people tested per million population.

On Wednesday, 1,120 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.

Public Posting of Outbreak Declarations Outbreak Declaration

If an outbreak is declared, all parents of that school will receive notification and the declaration will be posted to saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19/Latest Updates.

• As previously announced, if two or more people test positive for COVID-19, and are all linked to a specific school setting within a specified time period, an outbreak is declared for that school. The declaration of an outbreak does not automatically result in school closure or indicate a risk to others. Like outbreaks in acute care, long-term care or business settings, an outbreak declaration may be triggered by a low number of cases and is used by public health to mobilize and coordinate a response to the infection.
• More information for parents and schools regarding thresholds for changes to in-classroom learning can be found in the Safe Schools Plan Parent Information Packages at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2020/august/27/safe-schools-plan-parent-packages.
  Single Positive COVID-19 Result.
• If a student or education staff receives a positive COVID-19 test result, public health immediately begins their contact investigation. Notification processes will proceed as outlined in the Safe Schools Plan Parent Information Packages.

Weekly Reporting of Testing Numbers and Cases for Youth

Providing additional information about the trends of COVID-19 cases in school, there will be a report on testing numbers and cases for children aged 0-19 with data by age categories and testing positivity rates posted weekly.

Starting September 17, a weekly report will be available for the week of September 6-12, posted at saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19/Safe Schools Plan.

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, your physician or nurse practitioner if you are experiencing worsening symptoms. If you require urgent care, call 911.
Priority testing is available for those who are symptomatic, health care providers and teachers.

If you are asymptomatic and planning to travel but require a test, please allow a minimum of seven days from the date of your test through to notification of results. You can also view your results directly on MySaskHealthRecord.

Drive-through Testing

Drive-through testing sites that do not require a referral are operating in Regina and Saskatoon. This is in addition to the testing and assessment centres currently open.

Regina – International Trade Centre at Evraz Place – Hall C, 1700 Elphinstone Street
Tuesdays and Thursdays – 4 pm – 8 pm
Saturdays – 8 am – 4 pm

Saskatoon – 3630 Thatcher Avenue
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – 12 pm – 7:15 pm
Saturdays and Sundays – 8:30 am – 4 pm

A valid Saskatchewan Health Card will be required for each person getting tested. A Canadian Armed Forces number or Interim Federal Health identification will also be accepted. You will be required to wear a mask during the registration process.

The drive-thru sites will be first come, first served so there may be some wait times. You must wait in your vehicle. There are no public washrooms available at these sites.