Latest COVID update Nov. 23

Four more Saskatchewan residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19.

It’s the highest single-day total of deaths reported in the province since the pandemic began in March. To date, 37 residents of the province have died due to COVID complications.

The deaths reported Monday included a person in their 60s from the far northeast zone, a resident over the age of 80 from the northwest zone, a person in their 60s from the north-central zone, and a resident in their 70s from the Saskatoon area.

There also were 235 new cases reported Monday, increasing the seven-day average of new cases to 219 (or 18.0 per 100,000 population).

The new cases were in the Regina (66), Saskatoon (54), north-central (24), southwest (17), southeast (16), south-central (16), far northwest (11), northwest (10), central-east (seven), northeast (four), central-west (four) and far northeast (three) zones. The hometowns of three new cases are pending.

The total number of cases recorded in Saskatchewan since March is now 6,708.

There were 50 recoveries reported Monday, increasing that total so far to 3,807. The number of active cases being reported in the province stands at 2,864.

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in Saskatchewan went over the 100 mark for the first time.

The Ministry of Health said there were 106 people in hospitals around the province. That included 19 in intensive care.

There were 29 people in Saskatchewan hospitals at the end of October.

The ICU cases are in Saskatoon (nine), Regina (four), the north-central area (two), the southwest (two), the central-east zone (one) and the northwest (one).

Of the 87 people receiving inpatient care, 36 are in Saskatoon, 20 are in the southeast zone, 11 are in Regina, 10 in the north-central region, seven in the northwest and one in each of the northeast, central-east and southwest zones.

The number of health-care workers to have contracted the virus continued its upward climb, rising by nine from Sunday’s report to stand at 194. That total has nearly doubled in November; it was at 99 at the end of October.

Of the total number of cases so far in Saskatchewan, 2,868 are community contacts, 2,068 are under investigation by public health officials, 1,333 don’t have any known exposures and 439 cases are travellers.

The total comprises 1,977 cases from the Saskatoon area, 1,435 from the north, 1,025 from the Regina region, 915 from the south, 773 from the far north, and 552 in the central area.

There are 31 cases pending residence information.

There have been 2,386 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 1,793 from ages 40 to 59, 1,421 involving people 19 and under, 872 between the ages of 60 and 79, and 231 in the 80-and-over range. The ages of five cases are still being determined.

The rising number of cases among those 80 and over — an increase of 97 in the past seven days — likely reflects the outbreaks recently declared in long-term care facilities in the province.

There were 2,861 tests processed in the province on Sunday, increasing the total to date to 320,886.