There are 174 new cases of COVID-19 and 108 recoveries to report in Saskatchewan on March 19, bringing the provincial total to 31,259 cases.
Three Saskatchewan resident who tested positive for COVID-19 have died. The deaths were reported in the 80+ age group from the Central West zone (1), the 60-69 age group from the Far North West zone (1), and the 50-59 age group from the Far North Central zone.
South East region reported 11 new cases. They are located in Zone 1 (6), Zone 2 (3) and Zone 3 (2). South East Zone 4 which includes Estevan doesn’t have any new cases, and there are currently 12 active cases.
The other new cases are located in the Far North East (3), North West (8), North Central (8), North East (11), Saskatoon (20), Central East (12), Regina (86), South West (4) and South Central (6) zones. Five (5) new cases are pending residence information. Three (3) cases with pending residence information were assigned to the North Central (1) and Central West (2) zones.
There are a total of 29,500 recoveries and 1,345cases are considered active.
One hundred thirty-three (133) people are in hospital. One hundred and six (106) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (3), Far North East (1), North West (5), North Central (6), Saskatoon (42), Central East (6), Regina (37), South West (1), South Central (3) and South East (2). Twenty-seven (27) people are in intensive care: Saskatoon (10), Central East (3), Regina (13) and South Central (1).
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 128 (10.4 new cases per 100,000).
There were 3,635 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 18.
To date, 624,171 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 17, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 523,254 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 690,706 tests performed per million population.
As of March 19, there are twenty-one (21) new confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases to report. There are 156 confirmed variants of concern cases in Saskatchewan: 149 B1.1.1.7 (UK) and seven B1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 141 (or 90 per cent) of the confirmed VOC cases reported in Saskatchewan.
In addition to the confirmed cases, there are currently 508 presumptive VOC cases reported in the Far North East (1), Saskatoon (13), Central East (6), Regina (434), South Central (30) and South East (24) zones.
Vaccination progress
An additional 6,867 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 125,062. To date, this is the highest one-day total for vaccine delivery in the province.
The 6,867 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (483), Far North Central (10), Far North East (410), North Central (87), North East (383), Saskatoon (639), Central West (131), Central East (1051), Regina (3,307), South West (196), South Central (0), and South East (397). Of the doses administered March 18, 2,107 were delivered at the Regina drive thru clinic location alone.
For a listing of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-update.
Currently, residents 67 years and older can book their COVID-19 vaccination appointments online or by phone. As of March 18, 84,333 appointments have been booked using the new appointment systems: 63,295 online and 21,038 by telephone.
Additional information on eligibility and how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccine-booking.
Drive-thru Vaccination Clinic in Regina Expanded to Residents Aged 60 to 69.
Following the updated National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) guidance that residents older than 65 may receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the favorable uptake, the drive-thru immunization clinic in Regina is now available to residents aged 60 to 69.
The drive-thru clinic is located on the grounds of the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (Lewvan Drive and 11th Avenue) and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for the eligible age group. You cannot pre-book an appointment for the drive-thru clinic.
It is anticipated that this age range will continue to expand rapidly, and eligible residents are asked to check the website regularly for the latest: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccine-booking.
