Coronavirus hospitalizations slow in Saskatchewan, 175 new cases reported

For the first time in over two weeks, Saskatchewan’s coronavirus-related hospitalizations saw a decrease on Tuesday.

In the province, 105 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 85 are receiving inpatient care and 20 are in intensive care. Hospitalizations had been steadily climbing to record highs since Nov. 9 when there was 37.

Health officials said there were 175 new cases in the daily update, with the overall total for the province growing to 6,883 since the first case was reported in March. They added the new seven-day average of daily cases is 209. For the week of Nov. 12-18, the average daily case count was 174 cases per day, up from 129 the previous week.

According to the press release, most of the new cases are located in the Regina zone with 70, while there are 28 in Saskatoon, 14 in north west, 13 in far north east, nine each in central west and south central, five each in far north west, far north central and north central, four each in north east and south east, three in south west and two in central east. Residence information is still pending on four new infections.

One-hundred and twelve more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 3,919.

There is a new record high of 2,927 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

According to the press release, 3,174 COVID-19 tests were performed on Monday in Saskatchewan. To date, 324,060 tests have been carried out in the province.

The provincial government said further measures are under active consideration and development by Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, and will be announced during Wednesday’s COVID-19 update at 3 p.m.

There have been 37 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan.

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In a weekly update on COVID-19 provided on Monday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said the province still has the fourth-highest case rate in the country, behind Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec.

​As of Nov. 18, Saskatchewan’s COVID-29 case rate was 104 per 100,000 — up from 78 the previous week.

Public health officials said the most likely acquisition source continues to be households and close contacts and released a list of the top 10 sources of infection which include:

• 25 per cent — recreation/recreational facilities (e.g., ice rinks, bingo halls, bowling alleys, casinos);
• 17 per cent — gatherings (e.g., weddings, funerals, house parties, celebrations, break rooms);
• 14 per cent — group homes, shelters, outreach programs;
• 8 per cent — educational institutions (cases more likely in teachers/staff; in students, test positivity is higher in 14- to 19-year-olds);
• 8 per cent — food services establishments (cases more likely among co-workers);
• 7 per cent — long-term care, retirement and personal care homes;
• 6 per cent — fitness centres;
• 6 per cent — transportation and trades (e.g., taxi drivers, medical taxis, meat packing facilities);
• 5 per cent — nightclubs; and
• 2 per cent — places of worship.

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.