Saskatchewan reports 21 new coronavirus cases

Saskatchewan reported 21 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday afternoon, bringing the provincial total to 1,709 cases.

The majority of the new cases, 14, are located in the central east region. Another five cases are located in Saskatoon and two cases are in the south west.

Health officials say 15 of the 21 new cases reported on Saturday are from communal living settings.

Four new recoveries were reported on Saturday bringing total recoveries to 1,602.

There are 83 active cases in the province, 33 of which are in communal living settings.

Here is a breakdown of where Saskatchewan’s active cases are:

• Central East: 25
• Saskatoon: 24
• Regina: 7
• Central West: 6
• South Central: 5
• North Central: 4
• North West: 3
• South West: 3
• Far North West: 2
• Far North East: 2
• South East: 2

There are two people in hospital receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon.

1:33 University of Saskatchewan professor raises questions over untraceable coronavirus cases

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

Coronavirus breakdown

Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:

• 283 people are 19 and under
• 560 people are 20 to 39
• 519 are 40 to 59
• 289 people are 60 to 79
• 58 people are 80 and over

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

Officials said 845 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 257 are travel-related, 515 have no known exposure and 92 are under investigation by public health.

There have been 69 cases involving health-care workers.

Saskatchewan has completed 156,876 tests so far for the virus, up 1,544 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.