Four more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing Saskatchewan’s total deaths related to the pandemic to 210.
Two of the recently deceased were in their 60s and in the north east and south east zones, according to a press release. The others were in the 80-plus age group and reported in Saskatoon and south east.
In the province, 210 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 175 are receiving inpatient care and 35 are in intensive care. This is the highest number of hospitalizations to date.
Health officials said there were 382 new cases in Friday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 19,715 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 320.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (88), followed by far north west (46), north west (45), Regina (42), north central (38), north east (36), south east (30), far north east (24), central east (14), south central (4), far north central (2), central west (2) and one in south west. Residence information is still pending for 10 new infections.
There are currently 4,010 active cases in the province, health officials said. This is the highest number since Dec. 16, 2020, when there were 4,213.
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Officials said 231 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 15,495 thus far.
According to the press release, 3,455 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday in Saskatchewan. To date, 465,390 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 14,017 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan as of Friday, provincial government officials said.
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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