174 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Saskatchewan Friday, with 108 recoveries, bringing the active case count to 1,345. Three more deaths of people who tested positive for the virus were reported, one person over 80 years-old was from the Central West zone, a person in their 60’s from the Far North West zone and a person in their 50’s from the Far North Central zone. To date 414 people have died in Saskatchewan.
Regina saw the overwhelming majority of cases at 86, while Saskatoon saw an additional 20 new cases. The remaining cases were: Far North East (3), North West (8), North Central (8), North East (11), Central East (12), South West (4), South Central (6) and South East (11) zones. Five (5) new cases are pending residence information. Three (3) cases with pending residence information were assigned to the North Central (1) and Central West (2) zones.
To date there have been 31,259 cases and 29,500 recoveries. The seven-day average of daily new cases is 128 (10.4 new cases per 100,000).
133 people are in hospital. 106 people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (3), Far North East (1), North West (5), North Central (6), Saskatoon (42), Central East (6), Regina (37), South West (1), South Central (3) and South East (2). 27 people are in intensive care: Saskatoon (10), Central East (3), Regina (13) and South Central (1).
Variants of Concern Continue to Rise
As of Friday, there are 21 new confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases to report. There are 156 confirmed variants of concern cases in Saskatchewan: 149 B1.1.1.7 (UK) and seven B1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 141 (or 90 per cent) of the confirmed VOC cases reported in Saskatchewan.
In addition to the confirmed cases, there are currently 508 presumptive VOC cases reported in the Far North East (1), Saskatoon (13), Central East (6), Regina (434), South Central (30) and South East (24) zones.
There were 3,635 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Thursday. To date, 624,171 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 17, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 523,254 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 690,706 tests performed per million population.
Vaccines Reported
An additional 6,867 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 125,062. To date, this is the highest one-day total for vaccine delivery in the province.
The 6,867 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (483), Far North Central (10), Far North East (410), North Central (87), North East (383), Saskatoon (639), Central West (131), Central East (1051), Regina (3,307), South West (196), South Central (0), and South East (397). Of the doses administered March 18, 2,107 were delivered at the Regina drive thru clinic location alone.
For a listing of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone.
Currently, residents 67 years and older can book their COVID-19 vaccination appointments online or by phone. As of March 18, 84,333 appointments have been booked using the new appointment systems: 63,295 online and 21,038 by telephone.
Additional information on eligibility and how to book your appointment.
Drive-thru Vaccination Clinic in Regina Expanded to Residents Aged 60 to 69.
Following the updated National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) guidance that residents older than 65 may receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the favorable uptake, the drive-thru immunization clinic in Regina is now available to residents aged 60 to 69.
The drive-thru clinic is located on the grounds of the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (Lewvan Drive and 11th Avenue) and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for the eligible age group. You cannot pre-book an appointment for the drive-thru clinic.
It is anticipated that this age range will continue to expand rapidly, and eligible residents are asked to check the website regularly for the latest.
