COVID deaths, infections, hospitalizations decline in Saskatchewan: Ministry of Health

The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths all dropped in Saskatchewan during the latest reporting period.

Lab tests confirmed 231 new cases of COVID in Saskatchewan between June 12 and Saturday, according to the weekly epidemiological report from the Ministry of Health.

A total of 5,635 lab tests were performed that week, a slight drop from the 5,880 tests performed during the previous reporting period.

Twelve new COVID-related deaths were included in the latest report, compared to 17 the previous week, but only three occurred between June 12 and Saturday while the others occurred previously and are only being reported now.

Five of the new deaths occurred in the Saskatoon zone, with three in the southeast zone, two in the Regina zone, and one each in the south-central and central-east zones.

Hospitalizations also showed a downward trend, with a total of 157 COVID patients in hospital as of Wednesday, compared to 165 on June 15.

A total of 46 people were hospitalized due to a COVID-related illness as of Wednesday, while 108 were incidental infections. Five adults were in intensive care.

A look at the numbers

The 231 new lab-confirmed cases were detected in the Saskatoon (73), Regina (29), southeast (27), central-east (25), northwest (17), north-central (15), south-central (nine), southwest (eight), northeast (six), central-west (four), far northwest (two), far northeast (one) and far north-central (one) regions. The locations for 14 new cases were still pending.

The new cases represent a rate of 19 lab-confirmed cases per 100,000 people, though that figure does not include cases detected by rapid tests.

All of the 94 new lineage results reported during the week were of the Omicron variant.

Of the 12 deaths reported in the latest period, eight were people aged 80 and older and four were people in their 70s. As of Saturday, a total of 1,424 COVID cases in Saskatchewan have had a fatal outcome.

Two COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in long-term care facilities, a drop from five outbreaks reported during the previous period.

Vaccination numbers largely unchanged

Vaccination numbers remain largely the same as the previous week, with 86 per cent of the population aged five and older receiving at least one dose, and 81.1 per cent of the same group completing a series of vaccines.

Of the population 12 and older, 49.4 per cent have received a booster vaccine. Among adults, 52.7 per cent have rolled up their sleeve for a booster shot.

For the youngest age group, children five to 11, 42.1 per cent have completed a series of vaccines, though that figure was also unchanged this week.

The only zones where more than 80 per cent of eligible people have completed a series were Regina, Saskatoon and the northeast.

“From December 20, 2021 to May 21, 2022, unvaccinated individuals had a three-times higher risk of hospitalization and six-times higher risk of ICU admission and death compared to three-dose recipients,” the latest report stated.