Total coronavirus infections in Sask. jump over 4,200, hospitalizations reach new high

A new record for active coronavirus cases has been set in Saskatchewan.

There are currently 1,305 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

Health officials said there were 127 new cases in the daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 4,214 since the first case was reported in March. They added one case’s residence information is still pending.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone with 50, while there are 31 in Regina, 11 in north west, six each in far north west, far north east central east and south central, four in far north central and two each in north central, north east and central west.

In the province, 44 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 33 are receiving inpatient care and 11 are in intensive care. This is the highest number of hospitalizations to date.

One-hundred-and-eleven more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,880.

There have been 29 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

According to a press release, 1,837 COVID-19 tests were processed on Monday in Saskatchewan. To date, 285,858 tests have been carried out in the province.

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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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