COVID-19: Saskatchewan hospitalizations at 61, 34 new infections

Saskatchewan recorded 34 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, according to the provincial government’s online dashboard.

The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 43 from 45 on Wednesday.

According to the dashboard, 16 new variant of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total is reported at 12,165.

The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 61 patients with COVID-19: 46 are receiving inpatient care and 15 are in ICUs. This is the lowest number of hospitalizations since Nov. 14, 2020, when there were 57.

No fatalities were added to the province’s 568 COVID-19-related death toll.

Saskatchewan’s active COVID-19 cases have decreased and now sit at 420. It is the lowest number reported since Oct. 19, 2020, when there were 398 active cases in the province.

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The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 47,873 following 22 more recoveries, according to the dashboard.

Just over 1,900 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday. To date, 918,524 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 1,173,554 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials’ numbers read.

1:13 Saskatchewan expects 70% of residents to be fully vaccinated by the end of July

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.