4 new COVID cases, 9 more recoveries in Sask.; active cases at 149

For the first time in a month, the number of active cases of COVID-19 reported in Saskatchewan is under 150.

In a media release Thursday, the provincial government said there were four new cases and nine more recoveries. That lowered the number of active cases to 149, the lowest such figure since there were 142 on July 21.

Of the 149 current active cases, 99 are from communal living settings.

The new cases — three in the south-central zone and one in the Saskatoon area — increased the total number in the province to date to 1,590.

It’s the fourth straight day the number of new cases was under five, following reports of one case on Monday, one on Tuesday and four on Wednesday.

The nine recoveries announced Thursday raised that total so far to 1,419. To date, 22 people have died due to complications from COVID-19.

There are five people in hospital — the lowest number since there were three on July 13.

All five hospitalizations are in Saskatoon, with four people in intensive care and one receiving inpatient care.

Of the total number of cases, 818 are community contacts, 476 don’t have any known exposures, 230 are travellers and 66 are being investigated by local public health.

The number of Saskatchewan health-care workers who have contracted the virus is 65, up one from Wednesday’s report.

Geographically, there have been 410 cases from the south area (209 southwest, 190 south-central, 11 southeast), 352 in the far north region (346 far northwest, six far northeast), 254 in the north area (121 northwest, 68 north-central, 65 northeast), 249 in the Saskatoon area, 194 from the central region (161 central-west, 33 central-east), and 131 in the Regina area.

The total comprises 509 cases between the ages of 20 and 39, 492 in the 40-to-59 range, 274 from age 60 to 79, 260 involving people 19 and under, and 55 in the 80-and-over range.

The 1,443 tests performed in Saskatchewan on Wednesday hiked the province’s total to date to 126,624.