Saskatchewan has hit another milestone, surpassing 32,000 total COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began.
According to the provincial government on Wednesday, there were 190 new infections and the new seven-day average of daily cases is up from 158 on Tuesday to 173.
The province added one new coronavirus-related death for a total of 420, according to a press release. The recently deceased was reported in the 80-plus age group and from the north west zone.
The provincial government said 954 variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan and were reported in the far north east (1), Saskatoon (18), central east (10), Regina (824), south central (56) and south east (45) zones.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 147 patients with COVID-19 — 125 are receiving inpatient care and 22 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,565 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 30,196 following 96 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,775 COVID-19 tests were performed on Tuesday. To date, 640,259 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 151,507 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.