Saskatchewan’s coronavirus-related death toll remained at 363 with none reported in the provincial government’s daily update.
On Thursday, the government restated its recommendation against all non-essential travel and advised anyone who chooses to travel inter-provincially during the February break week to get tested upon return to Saskatchewan and plan for a follow-up test seven days later.
“The presence of new variants across Canada means an elevated risk of bringing more transmissible strains of COVID-19 home with you,” read a government statement.
“While you cannot test your way out of travel risks, testing is the best tool available to protect your family, friends and all residents of Saskatchewan against COVID-19 if you have travelled.”
According to the government on Thursday, there were 146 new cases with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 27,099. The new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 164.
Health officials said most of the new cases are located in the Saskatoon zone (41), followed by Regina (34), north west (15), far north central (10), central east (10), north east (10), far north west (7), north central (7), far north east (5), central west (4) as well as one each in south central and south east. Residence information is still pending for one new infection.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 174 patients with COVID-19 — 151 are receiving inpatient care and 23 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,516 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release. This is the lowest number since 1,427 were reported on Nov. 13, 2020.
The number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to a total of 25,221 following 171 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 2,206 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday. To date, 551,283 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 14,080 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.
Find full COVID-19 coverage on the Global News website.
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