Close to half of Saskatchewan’s coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in just the past month, according to new numbers released on Tuesday.
Six more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing the province’s new total up to 225. There were 118 deaths as of Dec. 20, 2020.
One of the recently deceased was in their 60s and reported in the central west zone while the rest were in the 80-plus age group with two in Regina and south east as well as one in Saskatoon, according to a press release.
Health officials said there were 309 new cases in Tuesday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 20,871 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 300.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (69), followed by Regina (43), north central (30), north west (29), far north west (25), south east (19), central east (19), far north east (18), far north central (16), north east (10) as well as three each in central west and south west. Residence information is still pending for 25 new infections.
In the province, 207 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 176 are receiving inpatient care and 31 are in intensive care.
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There are currently 4,156 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
Officials said 412 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 16,490 thus far. The province said on Tuesday that reporting procedures are being amended to reconcile a significant backlog in the number of recoveries and these will be reflected in the daily statistics over the coming days.
According to the press release, 476,533 COVID-19 tests have been carried out to date in the province.
A total of 2,180 second doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, 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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