Sunday’s COVID-19 report from the Ministry of Health shows more recoveries then new cases in the province, but another resident has died who tested positive for COVID-19.

That person was in their 60’s from the Central East Zone and represents the 495th death since the pandemic began.  The province reported 238 new cases and 253 recoveries, which dropped the active case count to 2,437.  The seven day average of new cases also decreased a small margin and is now at 236.

Regina once again saw the most amount of new cases with 59, while Saskatoon saw 40, a slight decrease in both cities.  Variants of Concern confirmed in the province went up 161 from the previous day for a total of 7,160.  Saskatchewan hospitals currently have 167 people being treated for COVID-19 with 39 in intensive care.

The provincial total of reported cases is 41,599 cases, while recoveries total 38,667.

Full COVID-19 Stats for Sunday May 2nd:

Vaccines Reported

An additional 8,527 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 443,669.

The 8,527 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 86; Far North Central, 8; Far North East, 22; North West, 714; North Central, 562; North East, 111; Saskatoon, 1,804; Central West, 141; Central East, 748; Regina, 2,659; South West, 36; South Central, 491; and South East, 834.  There were 311 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Eighty-one per cent of Saskatchewan residents over age 60 have received their first dose.  Sixty-three per cent of those 40+ have received their first dose.  Forty-two per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.  As the source database for vaccine information, Panorama is subject to continuous data updates which may result in revised counts, day over day.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 40+ 

Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program is currently age 40 and older, except for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, where it is age 30 and older.  This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-ins, pharmacies and mobile clinics.

Prioritized front-line workers are also eligible.  A list of those occupations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vax-eligibility.  Eligible priority groups under 40 years of age may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system.  The online booking system is only available to those 40+, as public health must ensure residents under 40 are not scheduled at a clinic providing AstraZeneca.

Eligible residents under 40 years will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).

Please remember that demand for appointments outweighs current available supply.  There may be clinic options in communities outside the major urban centres and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Appointments can be made online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.  People who do not have a cell phone or email account, need assistance in booking, or are providing documentation for priority eligibility status must book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province.  For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811.  Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911.  Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 238 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 2, bringing the provincial total to 41,599 cases.  One case found to be an out-of-province resident was removed from the pending residence total.  Two cases not previously reported were added to the North Central total.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 19; Far North East, 1; North West, 22; North Central, 23; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 40; Central West, 8; Central East, 8; Regina, 59; South West, 5; South Central, 21; and South East, 22.  Six new cases are pending residence information.  Four cases pending residence information have been assigned to the following zones: North West, 1; North Central, 2; and Regina, 1.

There are 167 people in hospital.  One hundred and twenty-eight people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East, 1; North West, 3; North Central, 3; Saskatoon, 53; Central East, 6; Regina, 53; South West, 1; South Central, 3; and South East, 5.  Thirty-nine people are in intensive care: North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 14; Central East, 2; Regina, 21; and South Central, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 236 (19.3 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,354 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 1, 2021.

To date, 776,997 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of April 30, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 652,209 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 832,248.

As of May 1, 7,160 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 141 Far North East, 3; North West, 219; North Central, 131; North East, 24; Saskatoon, 819; Central West, 86; Central East, 318; Regina, 3,837; South West, 210; South Central, 542; and South East, 738. There are 92 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are no new lineage results reported today.  Of the 2,522 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,491 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 22 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).  The Regina zone accounts for 1,657 (66 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note that these VOCs may have been initially identified by means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening).  Whole genome sequencing results to identify lineage are included in the screening results.  Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Public Health Measures

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk throughout the province, the Chief Medical Health Officer has extended all current provincial public health orders until May 10, 2021.  The orders will be reviewed at that time.  Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

All residents are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures:

• Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces.
• Wash non-medical masks daily.
• Maintain physical distancing.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Reduce activities outside of your home.  Order take-out or curbside pick-up.  Work from home if you are able to do so.
• Avoid all unnecessary travel throughout the province at this time.

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test.  If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known.  Testing information is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.