Three more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing Saskatchewan’s total up to 177.
The recently deceased include two seniors in the Regina zone and one another in the 80-plus age group in north central, according to a press release.
Health officials said there were a total of 334 new cases in Thursday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 17,138 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 254.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone with 83, while there are 65 in north central, 49 in Regina, 33 in south east, 24 in far north east, 15 in far north west, 14 in north east, 11 in north west, six in central east, four in central west as well as one each in far north central, south west and south central. Residence information is still pending for 27 new infections.
In Saskatchewan, 176 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 147 are receiving inpatient care and 29 are in intensive care.
There are currently 2,947 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
Officials said 278 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 14,014.
According to the press release, 2,548 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday in Saskatchewan. To date, 442,063 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 4,832 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan as of Thursday, provincial government officials said.
Effective immediately, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is expanding drive-thru coronavirus testing hours in Yorkton to open daily at 10:30 a.m., rather than 1 p.m.
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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