The Saskatchewan government gave an update on new coronavirus cases in the province on Monday.
Health officials said in the daily update there were 18 new cases with the overall total for the province growing to 683 since the first case was reported in March.
Thirteen of the new cases are in the far north region, according to the government. Officials added most are connected to a wake on June 10 and a funeral on June 11 in the community of Clearwater River Dene Nation. A precautionary health advisory was issued last week.
Health officials are reminding people who attended these events to immediately self-isolate and self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for two weeks from the date of attendance.
Two of the three people — who recently tested positive in the Saskatoon region — live out-of-province and are under further investigation, government officials said.
“While our numbers had been lower over the last few days, this increase is a reminder that COVID-19 is still in Saskatchewan,” Saskatchewan chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said in a press release.
“Large public gatherings increase the risk of transmission. Everyone should continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including physical distancing.”
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Two people are currently in hospital — one person is receiving inpatient care in the north region and one patient is in intensive care in Saskatoon.
One more person has recovered, bringing total recoveries to 629.
There are currently 41 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases minus recoveries and deaths.
There have been 13 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.
Health officials said 146 cases in the province are travel-related, with 409 due to contacts or mass gatherings. Another 80 have no known exposures and 48 remain under investigation.
Of the 181 total cases reported in the Saskatoon area, 12 are considered active.
In the Regina area, two of the 80 total cases are active, while the north region has 112 total and one active case.
The south region has 19 total cases and two active cases, the central region has 12 total cases and zero active cases, and the far north 277 total cases and 22 active cases.
To date, Over 56,220 tests have been carried out 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.
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