The Saskatchewan government reported the province’s 16th COVID-19-related death as it gave an update on new cases on Thursday.
The deceased, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, was in the 60 to 69 age range and from the north region, according to a press release.
Health officials said there were 42 new cases in the daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,072 since the first case was reported in March.
Twenty-three of the new cases were in the south, 11 were in the central, and three each in the north and far north regions. The last two were in the Saskatoon region.
The government said 17 of Thursday’s cases are from Hutterite communities in the southwest and west-central regions. There are currently 15 colonies with active cases.
Thirteen people are currently in hospital — nine are receiving inpatient care and four are in intensive care.
Thirteen more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 838.
There are currently 218 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
To date, over 86,384 tests have been carried out in the province. Health officials said an all-time high of 1,468 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Saskatchewan reported its highest total number of new coronavirus cases in a single day — 60 — while passing the 1,000-case mark.
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. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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