Saskatchewan reports 1,051 new cases, 403 people with COVID in hospital

More than 400 people with COVID-19 were in Saskatchewan hospitals as of Wednesday.

The weekly epidemiological report issued by the Ministry of Health on Thursday said there were 403 people with COVID in provincial health-care facilities.

The total was up from 354 a week earlier, and was just seven hospitalizations shy of the province’s high of 410 set during the week of Feb. 6-12.

The total reported Thursday included 232 incidental infections, 152 COVID-related illnesses and 19 cases that were under investigation.

There were 25 people in intensive care units, up from the 20 reported in the previous week.

The report said 20 more Saskatchewan residents had died, increasing the provincial total as of Saturday to 1,275.

The latest deaths included five in the central-east region, four in the Regina zone, two in each of the northwest, north-central, Saskatoon and south-central regions, and one in each of the far northwest, southwest and southeast areas.

Ten of the fatalities were in the 80-and-over age group, six were in their 70s, two were between the ages of 40 and 59, one was in the 20-to-39 age group, and one was in the 60-to-69 age range.

From April 3 through Saturday, there were 1,051 new cases confirmed by laboratory testing in the province. That was up 19 cases from the previous week.

The total number of cases in the province reported Thursday didn’t include positive results detected by rapid antigen tests.

The reported cases were in the Saskatoon (294), Regina (181), central-east (99), southeast (62), northwest (58), south-central (49), north-central (49), central-west (37), northeast (36), southwest (18), far northwest (12), far northeast (nine) and far north-central (one) zones. The hometowns of 146 cases were pending.

The government said close to half of the cases were between 20 and 49 years of age and more than one-quarter were under 20.

The reported cases were detected in 7,996 lab tests for a test positivity rate of 13 per cent.

The 375 new variants of concern identified by whole genome sequencing were all Omicron, with 41.3 per cent of those the BA.2 sublineage — nearly twice the percentage recorded in the previous week.

There were 16 confirmed COVID outbreaks in long-term care (10) and care home (six) settings during the week.

Vaccination update

As of Saturday, 85.7 per cent of Saskatchewan residents aged five and over had received at least one dose of a two-dose COVID vaccine and 80.7 per cent had completed a series. Those percentages were unchanged from the week before.

The government once again encouraged people to get vaccinated, noting people who haven’t got a shot are about five times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID when compared to those with two doses and a booster.

Unvaccinated residents are about 10 times more likely to be admitted to ICU than residents with two doses and a booster.

The province noted everyone between the ages of five and 11 can get two doses of a two-vaccine series, those 12 to 69 years of age are eligible for a third dose four months after their second dose, and people 70 years and up can get a fourth dose as long as four months have passed since their third shot .

Everyone 70 and over can book their appointments for a fourth dose at Saskatchewan Health Authority clinics using the online booking system. Pharmacies also participating in the vaccination program.

Those 50 and over who live in a First Nations community or in the Northern Service Administration District can get their fourth dose provided four months have elapsed since their third shot. Appointments are available by calling 1-833-727-5829.