For the 11th day in a row, Saskatchewan has reported a double-digit increase in new coronavirus cases in the province.
Health officials said there were 40 new cases in the daily update on Friday, with the overall total for the province growing to 2,270 since the first case was reported in March. They added that two cases were deemed to be out-of-province and were removed.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the north-central zone with eight, while there are seven each in the far northeast, Regina and Saskatoon, six in the far northwest, two in the central-east and the rest in the northwest, central-west and south-central zones.
Recent data indicates 79 cases of COVID-19 in multiple communities are linked to the Gospel Worship event in Prince Albert, including case contacts of attendees, according to a press release.
Officials noted “superspreader” events are not limited to those who attended the event itself, but quickly transmit in local settings. They added that at least 250 contacts have been part of the contact investigation related to this event.
Both an individual and a corporation have been fined for failure to abide by the public health orders, according to the press release. It also says a business has been ordered to temporarily close for having inadequate COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.
Fines not following public health orders are $2,000 for individuals and $10,000 for corporations, plus a victim surcharge.
In the province, nine people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — seven receiving inpatient care and two in intensive care.
Twelve more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,946.
There are currently 299 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
There have been 25 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.
According to a press release, 2,568 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday in Saskatchewan. To date, 225,532 tests have been carried out in the province.
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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