Saskatchewan had its lowest daily number of new COVID-19 infections so far this year as the number of administered vaccines reportedly topped one million doses.
On Tuesday, health officials said there were 36 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in the province to 48,505. A total of 1,005,275 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, provincial government officials said.
The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 67 from 69 on Monday. This is the lowest number reported since Oct. 29, 2020, when it was 62.
According to the provincial government, 27 new variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 11,998.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 79 patients with COVID-19: 67 are receiving inpatient care and 12 are in ICUs.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 639 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release. This is the lowest number reported since Oct. 25, 2020, when it was 619.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 47,301 following 87 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 1,270 COVID-19 tests were performed on Monday. To date, 904,060 tests have been carried out in the province.
There have been 565 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan to date.
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.