In their update on new coronavirus cases in the province on Friday, the Saskatchewan government said 24 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,008.
Health officials also said there were 14 new cases, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,319 since the first case was reported in March.
Six of the new cases are located in the central and south regions, according to a press release. The other two were in the north and Saskatoon regions.
Of the 14 cases reported Friday, investigations completed thus far have found nine are from multiple “communal living settings” across Saskatchewan.
The government said its Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority continue to work with Hutterite communities to curb the spread of the virus. It added Hutterian Safety Council (HSC) chair David Tschetter pledged its full support in a letter to Premier Scott Moe on Thursday.
“The focus of the HSC has always been to simultaneously support the government and our communities. Regarding COVID-19, our task has been to ensure that Hutterites have the information they need to follow provincial public health orders for the safety of all citizens,” read the letter.
“We recognize that, although many of our communities are falling in line, there are those who need extra support in order to achieve compliance. The HSC stands at the ready to act in a supportive role to collaborate with you, the ministry, the health authority, and Hutterites to accomplish this.”
As of Friday, 15 people are in Saskatchewan hospitals — nine are receiving inpatient care and six are in intensive care.
There are currently 293 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
There have been 18 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.
The highest daily number of COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday with 1,804, government officials said. To date, 98,510 tests have been carried out in Saskatchewan.
Officials said one person who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus has since been determined to be a non‐Saskatchewan resident and this case has been removed from the total count.
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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