The Saskatchewan government says coronavirus case numbers reported on Saturday, Dec. 5, from Saskatoon are much lower than anticipated due to a data-related issue.
This issue is in the process of correction and is expected to be updated on Sunday, according to a press release. The Saskatoon zone still contains the most active COVID-19 cases in the province with 1,272.
Health officials said there were 202 new cases in the daily update on Saturday, with the overall total for the province growing to 9,730 since the first case was reported in March. They added the new seven-day average of daily cases is 263.
According to the press release, most of the new cases are located in the Regina zone with 51, while there are 33 in north central, 21 in south west, 18 in north west, 17 in far north east, 13 in south east, 10 in north east, eight each in far north west, central west and central east, six in south central and four in Saskatoon. Residence information is still pending for five new infections.
There is a new record high of 4,191 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
In the province, 116 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 91 are receiving inpatient care and 25 are in intensive care.
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Nearly 130 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 5,484.
According to the press release, 3,404 COVID-19 tests were performed on Friday in Saskatchewan. To date, 360,546 tests have been carried out in the province.
There have been 55 COVID-19-related deaths 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.
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