The Saskatchewan government has confirmed a fifth coronavirus-related death in the province.
Officials said the person was from the far north and in their 80s.
La Loche Mayor Robert St. Pierre told Global News on Sunday that Joseph Pierre Sylvestre, 83, was a resident of a long-term care home.
The community of La Loche also confirmed the news Sunday on its Facebook page.
Health officials said in a statement Monday that the death was not reported publicly on Sunday as fatalities must “confirmed by the medical health officer to ensure that the case meets the criteria in order to be documented in the epidemiological reporting tools.”
At that time, officials said, the death will be reported by the Ministry of Health.
Eleven new cases were reported in the far north, bring the total number of cases in the region to 46, 42 which are active — more than half of the 72 current active cases in the province. One death and three recoveries have been reported.
Twenty-nine of the confirmed cases in the regions are in La Loche, with nine in nearby communities.
Dr. Rim Zayed, the northern medical health officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said most of those cases are travel-related from Alberta.
“I would say 26 are related to northern Alberta. There are two cases in long-term care. Other cases in long-term care are negative,” Zayed said.
“We monitor them every day for any change in status, and we are continuing to support them as much as we can.”
Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said testing is being ramped up in the region.
“Whenever there is a cluster or an outbreak, testing is ramped up to assist in the case contact investigation,” Shahab said.
“Whenever there’s an outbreak, there’s a greater focus on cases, contact and settings. In an institutional setting, testing may be recommended for everyone in that institution.”
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One new case was reported in the north region, bring the total to 69. Ten cases are active and three people are in hospital.
There is currently a public health order restricting all non-critical travel to northern Saskatchewan due to the coronavirus outbreak in La Loche.
Premier Scott Moe said his government is working with leaders in northern communities to deal with the outbreak.
“What we want to do is support the community in ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to do the right thing, not only when they have tested positive with COVID-19, but when they are being asked to self-isolate.
“We’re working in lockstep with the community there in supporting them and the people of La Loche.”
No other new cases were reported in other regions of the province. The total is now at 365 since the first case was confirmed on March 11.
Four people are in hospital in Saskatoon, two who are in intensive care. There have been 150 cases reported in the Saskatoon region, seven which are active. There has been one death and 142 recoveries.
Dr. Johnmark Opondo, chief medical health officer for Saskatoon, said there is an ongoing investigation into an outbreak at the Confederation Inn in the city.
“We have had a cluster of cases in the city of Saskatoon for individuals who live together,” Opondo said.
He said there are four people who have a home address linking them back to La Loche.
Opondo said some of them have travelled recently while others haven’t, but said there is no immediate connection to La Loche.
“We are doing a widespread investigation around… the four cases,” Opondo said, adding that in three of the four cases, the people were named as contacts to the first case.
“All these patients have been asked to self-isolate at home, and they’ve been very compliant.
“We continue to do contact tracing in more than 20 other contacts that were named, and haven’t found any other cases.”
There are currently 10 active cases in Regina out of 74 total cases. There has been one death and 63 recoveries.
The is currently one active case and 14 recoveries in the south region out of 15 total cases, and two active cases in the central region out of 11 total cases, with one death and eight recoveries.
There have been 288 recoveries to date in the province, unchanged from the previous day.
Health officials said 139 cases in the province are travel-related, with 149 due to contacts or mass gatherings. Another 35 have no known exposures and 42 remain under investigation.
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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