Eight more people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, bringing Saskatchewan’s total up to 247.
Six of the recently deceased were in the Regina zone with one person in their 40s, two in their 60s, one in their 70s and two in the 80-plus age group, according to a press release. Another was reported in the 80-plus age group from the central east while the eighth was from Saskatoon and in their 60s.
In the province, 177 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 — 147 are receiving inpatient care and 30 are in intensive care. This is the lowest amount of reported hospitalizations since Jan. 7 when there were 176.
Health officials said there were 312 new cases in Friday’s update, with the overall total for the province growing to 21,643 since the first case was reported in March 2020. The new seven-day average of daily cases is down to 275.
According to a press release, most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (88), followed by Regina (47), north west (40), north central (39), north east (20), far north east (14), central east (14), south east (14), far north west (11), central west (7), south Central (4) as well as one each in far north central and south west. Residence information is still pending for 12 new infections.
There are currently 3,147 active cases in the province, health officials said. Active cases are total cases less recoveries and deaths.
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Officials said 203 more people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 18,200 thus far.
According to the press release, 3,147 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday in Saskatchewan. To date, 485,003 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 3,415 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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