There are 295 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 7, bringing the provincial total to 42,695 cases.  Twenty-four cases tested out of province were added to the North West, 7; North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 5; Central West, 1; Central East, 2; Regina, 4; South West, 1; and South East, 1. Two cases tested out of province are pending residence information.

One new death is reported today in the 70-79 age group from the South West zone.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 2; Far North East, 5; North West, 33; North Central, 17; North East, 9; Saskatoon, 98; Central West, 1; Central East, 10; Regina, 68; South West, 9; South Central, 7; and South East, 32.  Four new cases are pending residence information.  Two cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the following zones: North West, 1; and Regina, 1.

Recoveries total 39,954 and 2,239 cases are considered active.

There are 174 people in hospital.  One hundred and thirty-six people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East, 1; North West, 8; North Central, 3; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 62; Central East, 2; Regina, 46; South West, 2; South Central, 3; and South East, 5.  Thirty-eight people are in intensive care: North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 12; Central East, 3; Regina, 20; and South Central, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 221 (18.0 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 3,652 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 6, 2021.

To date, 793,271 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of May 5, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 665,763 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 848,995.

As of May 6, 7,905 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 172; Far North East, 6; North West, 262; North Central, 190; North East, 43; Saskatoon, 930; Central West, 90; Central East, 339; Regina, 4,119; South West, 246; South Central, 576; and South East, 817. There are 115 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 27 new lineage results reported today.  Of the 3,031 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,986 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 36 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).

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.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 10,530 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 491,440.

The 10,530 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 170; Far North Central, 2; Far North East, 231; North West, 787; North Central, 800; North East, 323; Saskatoon, 2,462; Central West, 323; Central East, 457; Regina, 3,536; South West, 43; South Central, 404; and South East, 618.  There were 374 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Sixty-nine per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Fifty-six per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Forty-seven 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.

Next week’s scheduled Moderna shipment of 31,000 doses has arrived early.  Shipments totaling 30,200 doses arrived in Saskatchewan yesterday, with the remaining 800 doses expected to arrive today.  They are now being distributed to vaccination clinics, First Nations and participating pharmacies province-wide.

Vaccination Booking System Opens to Ages 32+ Tomorrow

On Saturday, May 8, eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program will expand to include age 32+.  It remains 18+ for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.  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 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. Prioritized front-line workers 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).

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow, residents aged 32+ may book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy.  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.

The pharmacy vaccination pilot rollout continues and additional pharmacies will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available.  The current list of pharmacies participating is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  Find the participating pharmacies near you now on the new map tool.

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.

Keep Mom, Grandma and all your loved ones safe this Mother’s Day

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and while we all want to show that special person who raised us we care, mom would also want us to stay safe.  Some options for you this Mother’s Day:

• Plan a virtual visit – a call or video chat can brighten someone’s day.
• If you are visiting in person, meet outside!  Go for a walk, sit around a fire or on the porch.  Remember: all private dwelling indoor gatherings are limited to household members only.  Outdoor gatherings are limited to 10 people.  And don’t forget that non-household members need to physically distance.
• Postpone visits and stay home if you are sick, even if your symptoms are mild.
• For visitation in SHA facilities, long-term and personal care homes, check on the current visitation guidelines at www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/service-alerts.aspx.

Please continue to follow public health orders.  You can find them at saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-measures.  All current public health orders will remain in place until reviewed as part of implementing Step One of the Re-Opening Roadmap.

Be Safe and Limit Your Travel

Saskatchewan is a land of living skies and long highways.  In a province as big as ours, travel is often required to meet the everyday needs of residents but we also start taking advantage of the warm weather to make get-away plans.  At this time, please continue to minimize your travel.  If residents are taking trips outside of their community, there are best practices to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission:

• Continue to follow the guidance of the current Public Health Orders.
• Manage as many retail or business needs in your home community as possible prior to any other destination.
• If you are travelling to or from a location with increased COVID-19 transmission, consider whether travel can be delayed.
• Where possible, travel in the same vehicle with members of your immediate household only.
• Travel directly from your home community to your destination with no unnecessary stops.
• Once you reach your destination, make as few stops as possible and minimize contact with residents of that community.
• Document date(s) of travel and the location of stops in case you need to refer to it later.
• While medical appointments are considered essential travel, access medical services in your home community only if possible.