Lowest 7-day average of new COVID-19 infections this year in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan reported its lowest seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 infections so far this year on Friday.

Health officials said there were 21 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in Saskatchewan to 48,882. The seven-day average of new daily infections is down to 38, which is the lowest since Oct. 20, 2020, when it was the same.

According to the provincial government, 10 new variant of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan, while the total is reported at 12,175.

The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 57 patients with COVID-19 — 45 are receiving inpatient care and 12 are in ICUs. This is the lowest number of hospitalizations since Nov. 14, 2020, when it was the same.

Saskatchewan’s active COVID-19 cases have decreased and now sit at 405. 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 47,909 following 36 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.

According to the press release, 1,779 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday. To date, 920,303 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 1,194,535 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.

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

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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.