Saskatchewan reported four new novel coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total to 253 since the first case in the province was reported on March 11.
The cases represent the fewest to be reported in a 24-hour period in the province since March 18, when four COVID-19 cases were reported.
Fourteen more recoveries were reported, bringing the total to 81.
Officials said there are currently 169 active coronavirus cases in the province — confirmed cases less those reported as recovered and fatalities. Officials cautioned the active case count could be overestimated based on recovery information received to date.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said it is too soon to know if this is a trend.
“Active cases are down by 10 today (Monday) from 179 yesterday, now 169 active cases today,” Moe said.
“That’s just one day, so it’s far too early for us to say whether this is any sort of trend in Saskatchewan but it is good news and shows that what we are doing is working.”
There have been three deaths related to COVID-19 — one in Saskatoon, one in the central region and one in the north.
The Saskatoon area continues to report the highest number of cases with 127, officials said, with 51 in the Regina area and 47 in the north.
There are 15 cases in the south region, 10 in the central region and three in the far north.
Of the 253 total cases in the province, 102 are travellers.
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Another 77 are community contacts, including mass gatherings, while 14 have no known exposures.
Officials said 50 remain under investigation by local public health.
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Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, said they are seeing more transmission cases in essential workplaces, including stores.
“We have seen in some of our recent cases that many of them are individuals in the household who went shopping. So, it’s very important that we are thoughtful about who goes shopping and how frequently,” Shahab said.
“Go at a time that’s less busy and follow instructions, and if possible only one person from the household should go shopping for essentials.”
He added that now is not the time to be browsing and shopping should be limited to once a week.
Shahab said using a mask “does not really make a key difference.”
“If you choose to wear a cloth mask, the benefit of that can be if you cough or sneeze, and not cough or sneeze in your elbow, but cough into your masks, you can prevent droplet transmission,” he said.
“There may be limited value of mask use and there’s obviously lots of ideas out the about how to make a mask, but we have to remember that we are not talking about medical grade masks that are reserved for people in health care.”
People in Saskatchewan will get a better idea on Wednesday of the different scenarios facing the government in its decision-making process.
Moe confirmed that the Saskatchewan Health Authority will provide an in-depth briefing on possible COVID-19 scenarios in the province that day.
“This briefing will include a number of modelling scenarios of the impact of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, and these are scenarios,” Moe said.
“It will include an overview of the SHAs surge capacity plan. The Saskatchewan Health Authority is providing this update because we feel it is important that the public have access to the latest and most accurate information available.”
Moe added the health authority will provide updates every Tuesday going forward to ensure the public has the latest available information.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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