For the first time so far this year, the number of COVID-19 patients in a Saskatchewan intensive care unit (ICU) was reportedly less than 10 on Thursday.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 87 patients with COVID-19: 78 are receiving inpatient care and nine are in ICUs. This is the lowest ICU hospitalizations reported since Nov. 9, 2020, when it was eight.
Provincial government officials said one Regina senior previously listed as “fatal” is now being listed as “resolved,” correcting the total COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan to 561.
Health officials said on Wednesday there were 94 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in Saskatchewan to 48,220. The seven-day average of new daily infections is up to 75 from 72 on Wednesday.
According to the provincial government, 60 new variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 11,847.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 752 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
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The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 46,907 following 70 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 2,301 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday. To date, 895,631 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 937,737 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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