Saskatchewan reported its lowest daily coronavirus case increase so far this month as the death toll rose by one on Wednesday.
The recently deceased who tested positive for COVID-19 was reported in the 80-plus age group from the north west zone, according to a press release. There have been 410 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan to date.
As of Wednesday, 103 more presumptive variant of concern (VOC) cases were added for a total of 313 which are reported in the far north east (1), Saskatoon (6), central east (5), Regina (264), south central (23) and south east (14) zones, according to a press release.
In addition to the presumptive cases, 135 VOC cases have been confirmed. Officials said one previously reported B.1.1.7 variant case was a duplicate and was removed from the count.
According to the government on Tuesday, there were 87 new COVID-19 cases with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 30,970. The new seven-day average of daily cases is down from 138 on Tuesday to 135.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 139 patients with COVID-19 — 108 are receiving inpatient care and 31 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,264 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release. This is the lowest number of active cases since Nov. 8, when there were 1,122.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 29,296 following 114 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 2,597 COVID-19 tests were performed on Tuesday. To date, 617,664 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 112,764 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, visit the Global News coronavirus web page.