According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s monthly COVID-19 Vaccinations and Breakthrough Infections report, people under 12 made up 17.3 per cent of those who contracted COVID-19 in the province in August.
The report shows that of those hospitalized last month, 10 were under 19 and six were under 12.
One person under 12 ended up in the ICU.
Saskatchewan Opposition Leader Ryan Meili referenced the data Wednesday while calling on the province to include a breakdown of those under 12 years of age in its daily COVID-19 case reporting.
“We don’t know what’s happening in September. We should be hearing that every day. They have that information. They’re choosing not to tell people which makes it harder for parents and teachers to understand just what it is they’re dealing with,” Meili said.
Meili also called on the provincial government to mandate vaccinations for teachers and school staff members, mandate masking in all schools and release new pandemic modelling.
In a statement supplied to various media outlets Wednesday, a Saskatchewan government spokesperson said “the Government of Saskatchewan continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation in our province and consult with Dr. Shahab as the situation evolves.”
“Premier Moe and Minister Merriman are further engaging with the Saskatchewan Health Authority regarding the recent increase in hospitalization numbers and the ongoing capacity of the healthcare system. Premier Moe will have more to say on this in the coming days,” the statement continued.
In a separate statement, a spokesperson added, “daily reporting data is tracked based on existing age groups. Under 12 are in the 0-19 age group, consistent with what is reported nationally.”
4,596 new COVID-19 cases were reported in August, up from 1220 in July.
3416 of the August cases occurred among those either completely unvaccinated or those within three weeks of getting their first dose.
424 occurred among those with at least one vaccine dose. 756 occurred among those with two doses.
Among the 189 people with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in August, 132 were completely unvaccinated, 14 had one dose, and 39 were fully vaccinated.
Of the 41 ICU admissions, 31 of those in intensive care were unvaccinated.
Two people had one dose. Both are reported to have had comorbid medical conditions.
Eight were double vaccinated, with four of those people having comorbid conditions.