Fewer than 100 active coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan government gave an update on new coronavirus cases in the province on Monday.

Health officials said there were three new cases, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,602 since the first case was reported in March. They added that one previously counted case from Aug. 22 has been removed due to it being deemed a non-Saskatchewan resident.

According to a press release, all the new cases are in the north-west zone.

All five current hospitalizations in the province are in Saskatoon — one is receiving inpatient care and four are in intensive care.

Ten more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,482.

There are currently 98 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

This is the first time Saskatchewan’s active cases have been lower than 100 since July 15, when there were 75.

Government officials said investigations completed thus far have found that 60 the current active cases are in “communal living settings.”

There have been 22 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

Health officials said 1,031 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan on Aug. 23.

To date, nearly 131,945 tests have been carried out in the province.

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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. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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