7-day average of new coronavirus infections below 300 as Saskatchewan adds 4 deaths

Four more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing Saskatchewan’s total up to 219.

Two of the recently deceased were in their 70s and reported in the far north west and Saskatoon zones, according to a press release. Another was in the 80-plus age group in the far north east while the fourth person was in their 60s and in the north east zone.

Health officials said there were 290 new cases in Monday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 20,562 since the first case was reported in March 2020.

The new seven-day average of daily cases is down to 291. This is Saskatchewan’s lowest average since Jan. 10 when it was 290.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (55), followed by far north west (45), north west (41), north east (33), Regina (25), far north east (20), north central (13), far north central (12), central east (10), south east (7), south central (5), south west (2) and one in central west. Residence information is still pending for 21 new infections.

In the province, 210 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 180 are receiving inpatient care and 30 are in intensive care. This remains the highest number of hospitalizations to date.

There are currently 4,265 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

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Officials said 142 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 16,078 thus far.

According to the press release, 2,811 COVID-19 tests were performed on Jan. 17 in Saskatchewan. To date, 473,604 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 22,618 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said. They added data from the far north west and far north central zones will be reported on Tuesday.

​​The Saskatchewan Health Authority announced on Monday that it was offering a limited supply of the Pfizer vacc​​ine to seniors who were over the age of 70 and living independently in Prince Albert. Later the same day, officials said all appointments for the immunization clinics had been booked.

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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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