Saskatchewan reports 17 new coronavirus cases, several linked to private gathering

Saskatchewan reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday afternoon, bringing the provincial total to 1,726 cases.

The majority of the new cases, 14, are located in the Saskatoon area with one case reported in the central east zone and one case in the central west zone. The location of one other case is still pending.

Health officials say at least six of the 14 new cases reported in the Saskatoon zone are connected to a private gathering.

Contact tracing and investigation is underway, which may result in more cases linked to this gathering, says the government of Saskatchewan.

One more person in Saskatchewan has recovered from the virus, bringing total recoveries to 1,603.

There are 99 active cases in the province, 34 of which are in communal living settings, which is a term the province uses when identifying cases in Hutterite colonies.

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

• Saskatoon: 38
• Central East: 26
• Regina: 7
• Central West: 7
• South Central: 5
• North Central: 3
• 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.

1:49 6 months since Saskatchewan reports first novel coronavirus case

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

Coronavirus breakdown

Here is a breakdown of total Saskatchewan cases by age:

• 284 people are 19 and under
• 565 people are 20 to 39
• 528 are 40 to 59
• 291 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 852 cases are linked to community contact or mass gatherings, 259 are travel-related, 516 have no known exposure and 99 are under investigation by public health.

There have been 69 cases involving health-care workers.

Saskatchewan has completed 158,456 tests so far for the virus, up 1,580 from Saturday.

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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