Total coronavirus infections jump over 2,200 in Saskatchewan, active cases at 271

For the tenth day in a row, Saskatchewan has reported a double-digit increase in new coronavirus cases in the province.

Health officials said there were 33 new cases in the daily update on Thursday, with the overall total for the province growing to 2,232 since the first case was reported in March.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the central east and Saskatoon zones with eight each, while there are seven in Regina, three in far north west, two each in far north east, north central and north east as well as one in south central. The location of the last case is still pending.

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

Sixteen more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,936.

There are currently 271 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths. This is highest active cases have been since July 31, when 304 were reported.

There have been 25 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

According to a press release, 2,305 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday in Saskatchewan. To date, 222,964 tests have been carried out in the province.

4:25 Winter blues setting in? How to cope during colder months

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.