New daily record of 13 coronavirus deaths reported in Saskatchewan

A new daily record was set for coronavirus-related deaths in Saskatchewan with 13 on Thursday, according to the provincial government.

There have been 239 COVID-19-related deaths in the province to date.

Nine of the recently deceased were in the 80-plus age group and reported in the far north east (1), north central (1), south east (1) and Saskatoon (6) zones, according to a press release. Another death was reportedly a person in their 60s from Saskatoon while three others were in their 70s and in the far north central, north central and Saskatoon zones.

Health officials said there were 227 new cases in Thursday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 21,338 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is down to 286.

According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (62), followed by Regina (50), north central (21), north west (18), far north west (14), central east (12), south east (12), north east (11), far north east (7), far north central (6), central west (4), south central (4) as well as two in south west. Residence information is still pending for four new infections.

In the province, 197 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 166 are receiving inpatient care and 31 are in intensive care.

There are currently 3,099 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.

Officials said 816 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 18,000 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 future statistics.

According to the press release, 2,764 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday in Saskatchewan. To date, 481,856 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 3,054 second doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, 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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