Tests jump over 200K in Saskatchewan, 9 new coronavirus cases

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

Health officials said there were nine new cases in the daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 1,968 since the first case was reported in March.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the central east zone with five, while the rest are in the Saskatoon, Regina, south central and south east zones.

In the province, one person is currently in hospital with COVID-19 — this patient is in intensive care in Regina.

Nineteen more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,801.

There are currently 143 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

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

According to a press release, 2,612 COVID-19 tests were performed on Oct. 4 in Saskatchewan. To date, 202,136 tests have been carried out in the province.

1:52 Daryl Cooper resigns from Saskatchewan Party campaign after advancing COVID-19 conspiracies

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.