Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer says right now in this province there are hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in every age group over 20. Dr. Saqib Shahab cites sixteen people receiving inpatient care – two in their twenties, four in their fourties, six in their sixties and four in the eighty and over age range. There are also two people in intensive care, and both are in their sixties. He stresses that even though it’s more common for those that are older to have serious cases of COVID-19, it doesn’t mean younger people are immune.

Dr. Shahab says the average number of cases of COVID-19 over the past week is at around 3 per 100,000 population. There are 427 active cases of the virus, and most of the new cases are linked to large gatherings. He notes the worship in Prince Albert where originally 60 cases were linked to it, but because of secondary and tertiary spread, it’s now around 107 cases of the virus and involves around 450 contacts.

Dr. Shahab says that means a significant amount of resources were needed just for this event for the testing, contact tracing, and providing acute care if someone becomes seriously ill. He adds that understanding where the transmission comes from helps in future decisions, because if it’s known where it came from, it can be kept under control, as opposed to unknown community transmission.