Saskatchewan has hit another milestone, surpassing 200 coronavirus-related hospitalizations for the first time on Wednesday.
In the province, 205 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 169 are receiving inpatient care and 36 are in intensive care.
Two deaths were added to Saskatchewan’s death toll for a total of 206, according to the Saskatchewan government.
The recently deceased were in the 80-plus age group and reported in the north central and Saskatoon zones, according to a press release.
Health officials said there were 247 new cases in Wednesday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 19,017 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is down to 316.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (82), followed by north east and north east (27), north west (24), Regina (23), far north west (12), south east (11), far north central (10), far north east (9), central east (8) and one in central west. Residence information is still pending for 13 new infections.
There are currently 3,748 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
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Officials said 249 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 15,063 thus far.
According to the press release, 2,620 COVID-19 tests were performed on Tuesday in Saskatchewan. To date, 458,665 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 10,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said. They added not all reports were received and this number will be updated on Thursday.
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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