COVID-19: Saskatchewan sets new daily low this year with 17 infections

Saskatchewan had its lowest daily number of new COVID-19 infections so far this year with 17 cases reported on Monday.

Health officials said today’s numbers bring the overall infection total in the province to 48,505. This is the lowest increase since Oct. 7, 2020, when 10 were reported.

The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 43 from 48 on June 27. This is the lowest number reported since Oct. 21, 2020, when it was the same.

According to the provincial government, 12 new variant of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 12,121.

The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 76 patients with COVID-19: 63 are receiving inpatient care and 13 are in ICUs.

Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 468 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release. This is the lowest number reported since Oct. 20, 2020, when it was 427.

The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 47,737 following 98 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.

According to the press release, 976 COVID-19 tests were performed on June 27. To date, 913,689 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 1,127,683 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.

“Declining case numbers are a significant indicator that vaccination efforts are having an impact in the province,” read a statement from the provincial government on Monday.

“In order to further reduce COVID-19 transmission now and through the remainder of 2021, residents are still encouraged to get their first and second doses of the vaccine.”

With 71 per cent of Saskatchewan adults having received their first dose, the full implementation of Step 3 of the government’s “Re-Opening Roadmap” was previously announced to occur on July 11, which means all public health orders are expected to be removed.

There have been 566 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan to date.

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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.