Coronavirus death toll in Saskatchewan surpasses 200

Saskatchewan has hit another tragic milestone, surpassing 200 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday.

Five deaths were added to the province’s death toll for a total of 204, according to the Saskatchewan government.

Two of the recently deceased were reported in the Regina zone and in the 80-plus age group while two others were in their 70s and in far north west and north west, according to a press release. The fifth was in their 30s and reported in the south west.

Health officials said there were 248 new cases in Tuesday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 18,770 since the first case was reported in March 2020.

The new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 321. This is the highest average reported to date in Saskatchewan.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (53), followed by Regina (37), north west (30), north central (26), far north east (20), far north west and south east (11 each), central east (10), south central (8), north east (5) as well as two each in far north central, central west and south west. Residence information is still pending for 31 new infections.

In Saskatchewan, 191 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 162 are receiving inpatient care and 29 are in intensive care.

There are currently 3,752 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

Officials said 226 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 14,814 thus far.

According to the press release, 456,045 tests have been carried out in Saskatchewan to date.

A total of 9,880 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan as of Tuesday, provincial government officials said.

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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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