Saskatchewan added three COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 414, the provincial government said on Friday.
One of the recently deceased were reported in the 80-plus age group from the central west zone, while another was in their 60s from far north west and the last was in their 50s from far north central, according to a press release.
As of Friday, 21 more confirmed variant of concern (VOC) cases were added for a total of 156 which are made up of 149 B.1.1.7 and seven B.1.351 cases. Officials said the Regina zone accounts for 90 per cent or 141 of these confirmed cases.
In addition to the confirmed cases, 508 presumptive VOC cases have been reported in the far north east (1), Saskatoon (13), central east (6), Regina (434), south central (30) and south east (24) zones.
According to the government on Friday, there were 174 new COVID-19 cases with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 31,259. The seven-day average of daily cases remained at 128.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 133 patients with COVID-19 — 106 are receiving inpatient care and 27 are in intensive care.
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Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,345 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 29,500 following 108 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,635 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday. To date, 624,171 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 125,062 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said. They added the recent 6,867 doses is the highest one-day total for vaccine delivery.
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.