Coronavirus: 2 new deaths as Saskatchewan surpasses 29K total infections

Saskatchewan has hit another milestone, surpassing 29,000 total coronavirus infections since the pandemic began.

According to the provincial government on Wednesday, there were 121 new infections and the new seven-day average of daily cases is up to 154.

The province added two new COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 389, read a press release. The recently deceased were reported in the 80-plus age group from the Regina and Saskatoon zones.

Saskatchewan’s hospitals are currently providing care for 153 patients with COVID-19 — 133 are receiving inpatient care and 20 are in intensive care.

Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,431 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.

The number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to a total of 27,239 following 180 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.

According to the press release, 2,588 COVID-19 tests were performed on Tuesday. To date, 582,829 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 27,402 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.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus webpage.