Lowest number of COVID-19 patients this year in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan reported its lowest number of COVID-19 patients so far this year on Tuesday.

The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 50 patients with COVID-19: 40 are receiving inpatient care and 10 are in intensive care units. Hospitalizations haven’t been reported this low since Nov. 12, 2020, when there were 49.

Health officials said Tuesday there were 38 new cases, bringing the overall infection total in Saskatchewan to 49,765. The seven-day average of new daily infections was up to 41 from 39 on Monday.

Saskatchewan’s active COVID-19 cases have increased and now sit at 362. The far north west zone leads with 119 of the province’s active cases.

The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 48,825 following 33 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.

According to the press release, 1,234 COVID-19 tests were performed on Monday. To date, 955,360 tests have been carried out in the province.

A total of 1,390,263 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.

Government officials said a previously reported person who died in their 60s from the north central zone is no longer considered a COVID-19 death. There have been 578 COVID-19-related deaths in Saskatchewan to date.

1:25 Saskatchewan residents encouraged to keep COVID-19 health measures in mind, get vaccinated

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.