One new coronavirus case was reported in Regina on Monday, but the overall total remained unchanged in Saskatchewan as a result of a previously-reported positive case being determined negative.
Health officials said a person tested positive in Regina on May 27, but re-testing confirmed it was negative. They said testing of a second sample confirmed the negative result.
Of the 646 cases in the province, 47 are considered active.
The majority of the active cases — 32 — are in the far north region.
Other regions with active cases are Saskatoon (six), Regina (four), the north (four) and the south region (one). There are currently no active cases in the central region.
Four people are in hospital — two in intensive care in Saskatoon and two receiving inpatient care, one in Saskatoon and one in Regina.
Eleven people in Saskatchewan have died due to COVID-19.
The province also reported six more recoveries, bringing the total number to 588 — a 91-per cent recovery rate.
Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:
- 95 people are 19 and under
- 230 people are 20 to 39
- 197 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 382 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 142 are travel-related, 76 have no known exposure and 46 are under investigation by public health.
Saskatchewan has completed 48,272 tests so far for the virus, up 488 from Sunday. It’s the fewest number of tests completed in a day since May 28 when 268 daily tests were confirmed.
The latest testing numbers come as the province said it is expanding testing for the novel coronavirus.
Starting June 5, testing will be offered to anyone being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, other than expectant mothers, health officials said.
It will also be available to immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers, they added.
Testing was expanded on May 25 to anyone working outside their home, or people returning to work as part of the province’s reopening plan.
Officials cautioned that all lab tests have limitations and that false positive or false negative results may occur.
They said the probability of a false positive result occurring rises as the prevalence of COVID-19 in the population decreases.
In cases where a positive test is in question, health officials said the original sample is retested and a second sample is taken for testing. If the results are negative, the initial finding is then determined to be a false positive.
They said false negative results may occur early in the course of the infection, saying for example someone being tested too soon after being exposed to COVID-19, and said those people should be tested again if they develop symptoms.
RCMP COVID-19 related calls
RCMP said they received 62 COVID-related calls between May 22 and 28.
Of those, 13 were complaints of mass gatherings, three were for people failing to self-isolate when they were allegedly required to do so and 46 were other COVID-19 complaints.
Police said no charges were laid in any of the calls and said they continue to work with health authorities to investigate any possible public health order violations.
The province did not hold a press conference on Monday to address the coronavirus situation in the province.
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.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.