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4 new coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan, active cases drop to lowest level since March

Saqib Shahab, chief medical health officer, right, speaks while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe looks on at a COVID-19 news update at the Legislative Building in Regina on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Michael Bell / The Canadian Press

Saskatchewan reported four new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the provincial total of cases to 645.

Three of the new cases are in the far north and one case is in Regina.

Less than nine per cent of cases are considered active, after active cases dropped to 55 from the 61 reported the day before.

This is the lowest level of active cases since March 22.

“That’s down significantly from the peak of 209 active cases just 20 days ago, on May 10,” tweeted Premier Scott Moe on Saturday.

“More encouraging is this happened while we reopen Saskatchewan’s economy. It shows we can reopen business and people can return to work safely while controlling COVID-19. Great news with Reopen Saskatchewan Phase 3 starting June 8.”

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In total, 580 people have recovered from the virus.

Below is a breakdown of cases across Saskatchewan:

  • The far north has 256 cases, 38 of which are active
  • The north has 112 cases, five of which are active
  • Saskatoon has 169 cases, seven of which are active
  • Central Saskatchewan has 12 cases, with zero active cases
  • Regina has 79 cases, three of which are active
  • Southern Saskatchewan has 17 cases, two of which are active
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Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are also declining. Three people remain in hospital, two of which are receiving inpatient care in Regina and Saskatoon. Another person is in the ICU Saskatoon.

There are 50 cases in health-care workers.

Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:

  • 95 people are 19 and under
  • 230 people are 20 to 39
  • 196 are 40 to 59
  • 106 people are 60 to 79
  • 18 people are 80 and over

Males make up 48 per cent of the cases, females 52 per cent.

Officials said 379 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 142 are travel-related, 76 have no known exposure and 48 are under investigation by public health.

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Saskatchewan has completed 47,114 tests so far for the virus, up 660 from Friday.

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

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. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

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For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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