24 new coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan, majority of them in Regina

Saskatchewan reported 24 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday afternoon, bringing the provincial total to 1,433.

The majority of the new cases are in Regina, with 11 people in the city testing positive for the virus. Five new cases have been reported in south central Saskatchewan, three in north central, three in Saskatoon and one in the south west.

Health officials say the location of another case is pending.

Of the new COVID-19 cases, eight are linked to Hutterite colonies.

The province reported 24 more recoveries on Saturday, bringing total recoveries to 1,245.

There are 168 active cases in the province. Here is a breakdown of where they are:

• Central West: 45
• South Central: 28
• Regina: 25
• South West: 24
• North East: 13
• Saskatoon: 13
• North West: 8
• North Central: 4
• South East: 3
• Central East: 3
• Far North West: 1

No active cases are in the far north’s central or eastern regions.

There are 13 people in the hospital, eight of which are receiving inpatient care, three in Saskatoon, three in the south west, one in south central and one in Regina.

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Another five people are in the ICU: four in Saskatoon and one in north central.

Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 20 people.

Coronavirus breakdown

Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:

• 228 people are 19 and under
• 453 people are 20 to 39
• 452 are 40 to 59
• 249 people are 60 to 79
• 51 people are 80 and over

Females make up 50 per cent of the cases, males 50 per cent.

Officials said 716 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 207 are travel-related, 389 have no known exposure and 121 are under investigation by public health.

There have been 64 cases involving health-care workers.

Saskatchewan has completed 109,803 tests so far for the virus, up 2,129 from Friday.

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.

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