Saskatchewan reports 11 new coronavirus cases, active cases rise to 72

Saskatchewan reported 11 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday afternoon, bringing the provincial total to 726.

Seven of the new COVID-19 cases are in the far north, two are in the south region, and one case has been reported in the north and Saskatoon.

Three more people have recovered from the virus, bringing total recoveries up to 639.

Active cases in the province rose to 72 — 42 are in the far north, two in the north, 11 in Saskatoon and 17 in the south.

The last time the province had this many active cases was on May 26, when the province had 77 active cases. There are no active cases in Regina or central Saskatchewan.

Two cases that tested positive in Saskatchewan reside out of province and are under further investigation, say health officials.

Three people are in the ICU, one in Saskatoon and two in the south.

Thirteen people have died in Saskatchewan due to COVID-19.

Coronavirus breakdown

Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:

• 108 people are 19 and under
• 251 people are 20 to 39
• 224 are 40 to 59
• 122 people are 60 to 79
• 21 people are 80 and over

Females make up 51 per cent of the cases, males 49 per cent.

Officials said 442 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 154 are travel-related, 90 have no known exposure and 40 are under investigation by public health.

There are 53 cases involving health-care workers.

Saskatchewan has completed 59,252 tests so far for the virus, up 641 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.

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