Saskatchewan has added four COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 469 since the pandemic began.
The recently deceased were all reported in the Regina zone and reported from the 30-39, 40-49, 70-79 and 80-plus age groups, according to a press release.
Health officials said on Wednesday there were 231 new cases, with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 38,883. The seven-day average of new daily infections is up from 247 on Tuesday to 253.
According to the provincial government, 5,302 variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan and were reported in the far north west (45), far north east (2), north west (103), north central (63), north east (6), Saskatoon (543), central west (73), central east (197), Regina (3,118), south west (123), south central (417) and south east (542) zones. The residences of 70 VOC cases are pending.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 185 patients with COVID-19 — 136 are receiving inpatient care and 49 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 2,551 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 35,863 following 317 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 2,740 COVID-19 tests were performed on Tuesday. To date, 737,572 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 365,001 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.