Saskatchewan sees 5 new coronavirus infections as active cases continue to drop

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

Health officials said there were five new cases in their daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,609 since the first case was reported in March.

Three of the new cases are in the north-west while the remainder were in the Saskatoon zone, according to a press release.

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

Seven more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,527.

There are currently 58 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

According to a press release, investigations completed thus far have found that half of the current active cases are in “communal living settings.”

There have been 24 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

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Government officials said 1,254 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday in Saskatchewan. To date, more than 134,770 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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