Editor’s Note: Saskatchewan health officials reported an incorrect number of total tests in Oct. 12th’s COVID-19 case news release. This article has been altered to reflect the correct total number of tests performed on Oct. 11.
Saskatchewan reported its highest increase of new novel coronavirus cases in nearly 11 weeks on Thanksgiving Day.
Health officials said there were 48 new cases in the daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 2,140 since the first case was reported in March.
This is the highest number since July 29, when 50 new infections were reported.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the north central zone with 19, while there are 13 in Saskatoon, five in Regina, three each in central east and northwest and the rest in the far northwest, northeast, central west, southwest and southeast zones.
Health officials said investigations are underway to understand the source of exposure for Monday’s new cases. They added there is an increase in cases throughout Saskatchewan, with cases linked to public and private social gatherings in the home and other venues.
Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, continues to call for vigilance and extreme caution for any social gathering in homes that include anyone outside extended households.
He is also strongly recommending masks be worn in all indoor public locations where physical distancing of two metres is not possible and, above all, staying home if sick.
In the province, eight people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — seven are receiving in-patient care and one is in intensive care.
Twelve more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,900.
There are currently 215 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths. This is the highest number of active cases since Aug. 5, when 225 were reported.
There have been 25 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.
According to officials, 2,553 COVID-19 tests were performed on Oct. 11 in Saskatchewan.
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.
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