Saskatchewan reported two COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday, bringing the province’s total up to 568 since the pandemic began.
One of the recently deceased was reported to be in their 60s from the north west zone while the other was from north central and in the 70-to-79 age group, according to the daily update.
Health officials said on Tuesday there were 52 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in Saskatchewan to 48,823. The seven-day average of new daily infections is up to 46 from 43 on Monday.
According to the provincial government, one new variant of concern (VOC) case has been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 12,122.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 72 patients with COVID-19: 60 are receiving inpatient care and 12 are in ICUs. This is the lowest number of hospitalizations since Nov. 17, 2020, when there were 71.
“Declining hospitalization numbers are a significant indicator that vaccination efforts are having an impact in the province,” read a statement from the provincial government.
“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.”
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 464 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 47,791 following 54 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 1,425 COVID-19 tests were performed on Monday. To date, 915,114 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 1,136,300 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.