Saskatchewan’s active COVID-19 cases have increased and now sit at 2,603. This is the highest number reported since Jan. 26, when there were 2,665 active cases.
In the daily update, the death toll rose by two — there have now been 462 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan since the pandemic began. One of the recently deceased was in their 60s from the north west zone while the other was reported in the 40-49 age group from south east, according to a press release.
Health officials said on Friday there were 221 new cases, with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 37,615. The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 264, from 284 on Thursday.
According to the provincial government, 4,326 variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan and were reported in the far north west (11), far north east (2), north west (57), north central (49), north east (4), Saskatoon (385), central west (44), central east (158), Regina (2,731), south west (70), south central (349) and south east (419) zones. The residences of 47 VOC cases are pending.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 190 patients with COVID-19 — 146 are receiving inpatient care and 44 are in intensive care.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 34,550 following 225 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,739 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday. To date, 721,225 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 323,573 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.
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