Saskatchewan reported its third-lowest daily number of new COVID-19 infections so far this year as it added one to its death toll on Tuesday.
There have been 540 coronavirus-related deaths in the province to date. The recently deceased was in their 70s and from the central east zone, according to the Saskatchewan government.
Health officials said on Tuesday there were 86 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in Saskatchewan to 46,748. This is the lowest daily increase of infections since Feb. 24 when 56 were reported.
The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 134 from 138 on Monday.
According to the provincial government, 42 new variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 10,774.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 108 patients with COVID-19: 85 are receiving inpatient care and 23 are in intensive care.
Saskatchewan’s active COVID-19 cases have decreased and now sit at 1,272. It is the lowest number reported since March 17, when there were 1,264 active cases in the province.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 45,022 following 181 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 1,719 COVID-19 tests were performed on Monday. To date, 863,005 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 730,952 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.