Active coronavirus cases fall to 133 in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan health officials reported six new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,830 since the first case was reported in March.

This is the lowest number of new infections since Sept. 10, when six were reported.

According to a press release, three new cases are located in the Regina zone, two in the Saskatoon zone and the other in the central west.

In the province, nine people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — eight are receiving inpatient care and one is in intensive care.

Nineteen more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,673.

There are currently 133 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

Government officials said the number of active cases in “communal living settings” is now very low and will no longer be reported separately unless the number rises above 20.

According to a press release, 1,507 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan on Tuesday. To date, over 176,912 tests have been carried out in the province.

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

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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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