The highly-transmissable Delta variant accounted for more than half of the confirmed Variant of Concern cases in Saskatchewan, according to Tuesday’s COVID-19 update from the Ministry of Health. Of 154 confirmed V-O-C’s in the province, 81 were of the Delta strain, 64 Alpha and nine confirmed cases of the Gamma strain. Overall, out of 7,961 confimed V-O-Cs in Saskatchewan, Alpha still accounts for 7,027 cases, but there are now 505 cases of Delta variant in the province.

Otherwise, the latest novel coronavirus statistics showed no new deaths for a fourth consecutive day with 22 new cases and 42 recoveries. That leaves 242 active cases, from which 55 people are in hospital with 10 infections receiving treatment in an I-C-U. Of Tuesday’s 22 new cases, 14 are from the Far North West zone. The seven-day average for new cases is at 25.

As well, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says 97,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine have been received this week in the province with over 180,000 doses expected to arrive over the next two weeks. Fifty-nine per cent of Saskatchewan residents aged 12-and-over are considered to be fully vaccinated.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 22 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 20, bringing the provincial total to 49,472 cases.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 14; Far North East, 3; North West, 2; Saskatoon, 2; and one case is pending residence information.

One case with pending residence was reassigned to the Central East zone.

No new deaths were reported today.

Recoveries total 48,655 and 242 cases are considered active.

There are 55 people in hospital. Forty-five are receiving inpatient care: North West, 4; North Central, 7; Saskatoon, 18; Regina, 14; South Central, 1; and South East, 1. Ten are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 5; and Regina, 3.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 25 (2.1 new cases per 100,000). This marks the lowest seven-day average since October 12, 2020. A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 1,151 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on July 19, 2021.

To date, 945,617 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of July 18, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 797,118 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 997,428.

One hundred and fifty-four new lineage results were reported for Variants of Concern today. Of the 7,961 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 7,027 are Alpha (B.1.1.7), 505 are Delta (B.1.617.2), 419 are Gamma (P.1), and 10 are Beta (B.1.351).

Provincial COVID-19 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 2,636 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 1,353,307.

The additional 2,636 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 9; Far North Central, 24; Far North East, 39; North West, 113; North Central, 221; North East, 31; Saskatoon, 1,513; Central West, 26; Central East, 120; Regina, 372; South West, 17; South Central, 26; and South East, 61. There were 64 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-four per cent of those 12+ have received their first dose and 59 per cent of those 12+ are fully vaccinated.
Status of Population Vaccinations, as of July 18, 2021
Group Estimated
Population Received
First Dose Fully
Vaccinated
Age 80+ 51,352 47,763 (93%) 45,056 (88%)
Age 70-79 82,304 74,228 (90%) 69,708 (85%)
Age 60-69 140,471 121,400 (86%) 111,094 (79%)
Age 50-59 142,537 113,504 (80%) 98,173 (69%)
Age 40-49 150,870 109,297 (72%) 88,331 (59%)
Age 30-39 178,012 115,389 (65%) 86,470 (49%)
Age 18-29 181,622 112,597 (62%) 74,814 (41%)
Age 12-17 91,446 55,302 (60%) 30,054 (33%)

Pfizer shipments have resumed and the province of Saskatchewan will receive record high doses through the end of July.

Over 97,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine were received this week with more than 180,000 expected over the next two weeks. The shipments are provided to pharmacies and SHA clinics across the province. While it has proven safe and effective to interchange mRNA vaccines for second dose, those between the ages of 12 and 17 and those seeking Pfizer as a second dose should seek vaccination clinics and appointments now.

Stick it to COVID Now

Because it takes two weeks from your second dose to achieve optimal protection, take a look ahead at where you plan to be for the long weekend, for back to school, and plan to get your vaccination. Delaying your vaccination plans only allow more time for potential community transmission. All COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada have proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19, reducing severe illness and death. Pfizer and Modern mRNA vaccines can be used interchangeably to complete the two-vaccine dose series and being fully vaccinated means fewer COVID-19 cases in your community.

All Saskatchewan residents 12 years and older who have received their first dose of vaccine are now eligible to receive their second dose following a 28-day interval. Whether seeking your first or second dose, vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). Street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies. This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.