Saskatchewan reports 5 new coronavirus cases

Saskatchewan reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus Saturday, as active cases inch up.

Of the five new cases, three are in the Saskatoon area and two are in the south central zone, health officials said in their daily afternoon update.

There are currently 40 active cases in the province, whereas on Friday, there were 36. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

Two people with the coronavirus are hospitalized in Saskatoon. One is in inpatient care and the other is in the intensive care unit.

1:50 Real-time study of coronavirus planned in University of Saskatchewan curriculum

The cumulative total of coronavirus cases in Saskatchewan since the first one was reported on March 12 sits at 1,643.

Health official say 832 cases are linked to community contacts or mass gatherings, 251 are travel-related, 488 have no known exposure and 72 are under investigation by public health.

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There have been 66 cases involving health-care workers.

Of the cumulative cases, 1,367 have been in adults over the age of 19 while 276 have involved teens and children under the age of 19.

Females make up 51 per cent of the cases, males 49 per cent.

Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 24 people.

Saskatchewan has completed 146,795 COVID-19 tests.

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.