Saskatoon’s first case of the U-K COVID-19 variant has not only been detected, but the person is no longer infectious…having completed the two-week quarantine period since being tested in mid-January after arriving in Saskatoon from travel to South East Asia. Public health’s contact investigation indicates that all contacts of this resident have been identified and there is no indication of further transmission. Saskatchewan has now had three cases of the U-K COVID-19 variant detected.

       Otherwise, seven provincial residents who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus are reported as having passed away in Thursday’s update from the Ministry of Health, bringing the number of deaths in the province to 329. There was one fatality for a person in their 70s and two deaths each from people in their 50s, 60s and 80-plus. Another 250 new cases of the virus were included in today’s Thursday’s update, along with 232 recoveries…moving the active case count in Saskatchewan up slightly to 2,265. Of those active cases, 216 people are in hospital with 30 of those individuals being treated in an I-C-U.

       In addition, with the newest shipment of Pfizer vaccine having arrived in Saskatchewan, 723 doses were administered over six ones on Wednesday for a provincial total of 36,527.

There were 723 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered Wednesday in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 36,527.

The doses were administered in the following zones: Far North Central (17), Far North East (22), North Central (392), North West (83), Central East (11), and Saskatoon (198).  Back-dated corrections submitted to February 2 have realized an additional 41 doses of vaccine administered in the Far North East (22) and Regina (19) zones.

Saskatchewan’s Moderna allocation of 6,000 doses is scheduled to arrive at the RRPL on February 5.  It will be distributed to the Far North and North zones to provide second doses as well as to Central West, specifically Kindersley and Rosetown, for first doses.

For a listing of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-update.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 250 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on February 4, bringing the provincial total to date to 24,680 cases.

Seven Saskatchewan residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died.  Two deaths were reported in the 50-59 age group from the Far North West (1) and North West (1) zones.  Two deaths were reported in the 60-69 age group from the North West (1) and Saskatoon (1) zones; one death was reported in the 70-79 age group from the South Central zone; and two deaths reported in the 80+ age group from the Saskatoon zone.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (10), Far North Central (6), Far North East (37), North West (24), North Central (22), North East (5), Saskatoon (49), Central West (10), Central East (17), Regina (44), South Central (10) and South East (11) zones, and five (5) cases with pending residence information.

Eleven cases with pending resident information were assigned to the North Central (8), North East (2) and Regina (1) zones.

A total of 22,086 individuals have recovered and 2,265 cases are considered active.

Two hundred and sixteen (216) people are in hospital.  One hundred and eighty-six (186) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (4), Far North East (1), North West (21), North Central (26), North East (4), Saskatoon (70), Central West (1), Central East (11), Regina (43), South Central (1) and South East (4).  Thirty (30) people are in intensive care: North West (2), North Central (1), Saskatoon (13), Central East (4), and Regina (10).

There were 2,464 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on February 3, 2021.

To date, 517,756 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of February 2, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 437,178 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 573,569 tests performed per million population.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among healthcare workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date and the per capita testing rate can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website.  Please visit www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/cases-and-risk-of-covid-19-in-saskatchewan.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 234 (19.1 new cases per 100,000 population) and is now available on the Government of Saskatchewan website.  This chart compares today’s average to data collected over the past several months.  Please visit https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.1

COVID-19 Variant Detected

A third case of the UK COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.7) has been detected in a resident in the Saskatoon zone.  The contact investigation has determined that one case has travelled from south east Asia.

The individual was tested mid-January.  The individual quarantined following the travel and is now no longer infectious.  Public health’s contact investigation indicates that all contacts of this resident have been identified and there is no indication of further transmission.  If required, public health will issue a public service announcement to alert the general public to any risk due to any confirmed case of a variant of concern.

While the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory is testing travelers for variants of concern, those tests must be genome-sequenced at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg at this time.  This process can take one to two weeks.  The RRPL is planning to increase their capacity to complete genome sequencing in Saskatchewan.

Non-essential travel is not recommended at this time.  The best protection against all COVID-19 variants remains the same as protection against COVID-19: stay home, physically distance, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask and get tested if you are experiencing even mild symptoms.

The Government of Saskatchewan is considering the impact of variants on COVID-19 planning including any required increase to public health measures and surge capacity planning.

Keep Game Day Safe

This weekend is Superbowl Sunday and all sports fans are asked to ensure a safe weekend and keep COVID-19 transmission low.

• Because COVID-19 is airborne, shouting increases the risk of transmission.  Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and cheer your team on.
• Stay home and show your team colours but only members of your household are permitted to gather in an indoor space. Individuals who live alone may join another household of less than five under the current public health orders.
• If you’re going to brave the cold and take your viewing party outside, remember that outdoor gatherings are limited to 10, physical distancing between households must be maintained and do not share food and drink.
• While you may take in the game on the big screen at a public facility or licensed establishment, you must abide by the public health orders and guidelines to keep these spaces safer for all customers and staff.  Sharing food between non-household members is not recommended.  Requirements for masking, spacing between tables, acceptable sound levels, staying seated and customer limits can be found at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/re-open-saskatchewan-plan/guidelines/restaurants-and-licensed-establishments-guidelines.
• Individuals and venues may be subject to fines for failure to abide by public health orders and guidelines.  Support your teams but also your chosen venues by abiding by the guidelines.

The province has observed increased cases after holiday weekends and special events.  Stay apart and stay safe and keep Superbowl a safe event for everyone.

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.