There are 288 new cases of COVID-19 and 280 recoveries to report in Saskatchewan on April 13, bringing the provincial total to 36,892 cases.
There are two new deaths to report today. Both deaths were reported in the Regina zone from the 30-39 and 60-69 age groups.
South East region reported 17 new cases, with six of them in South East Zone 4 that includes Estevan (76 active cases), five in South East Zone 1, four in South East Zone 2 and two in Weyburn’s Zone 3.
The other new cases are located in the Far North West (4), North West (31), North Central (5), North East (3), Saskatoon (44), Central West (2), Central East (22), Regina (117), South West (18) and South Central (17) zones. Eight (8) new cases have pending residence information. Seven cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the North Central (2), Saskatoon (1), Regina (1), South Central (1) and South East (2) zones.
There are a total of 33,880 recoveries and 2,555 cases are considered active.
Two hundred and two (202) people are in hospital. One hundred and sixty-one (161) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (2), Far North East (1), North West (2), North Central (8), North East (1), Saskatoon (47), Central East (10), Regina (80), South West (3) and South East (7). Forty-one (41) people are in intensive care: North Central (2), Saskatoon (6), Central East (2), Regina (28), South West (1) and South Central (2).
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 271 (22.1 new cases per 100,000).
There were 3,007 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 12.
To date, 710,655 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of April 11, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 596,218 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 766,796 tests performed per million population.
As of April 13, 3,813 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North West (8), Far North East (2), North West (28), North Central (44), North East (3), Saskatoon (302), Central West (29), Central East (111), Regina (2,505), South West (40), South Central (329) and South East (371) zones. There are 41 cases with residence pending.
These were previously reported as "presumptive positives," but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations.
There were zero (0) new lineage results being reported today. Of the 1,435 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 1,426 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK) and nine are B.1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 1,131 (79 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.
Please note that these VOC may have been initially identified via means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening) and that whole genome sequencing results to identify lineage are included in the screening results.
Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case. Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.
Vaccination update
An additional 7,846 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 298,767.
The 7,846 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far North West (40), Far North Central (1), Far North East (40), North West (137), North Central (311), North East (78), Saskatoon (1,632), Central West (339), Central East (589), Regina (2,742), South West (324), South Central (331) and South East (1,051). There were 231 doses administered with zone of residence pending.
Fifty-three per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 50+ have received their first dose.
All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found on the dashboard at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.
The AstraZeneca Covax shipment (9,800 doses) is expected to arrive in Saskatchewan today (April 13).
Vaccination booking system expanding to ages 52+ province wide
In an effort to continue to protect residents as quickly as possible, the eligible age for booking vaccination appointments online or by telephone is also being lowered from 55 to 52. This change will take effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday April 14. Online appointments can be made by visiting www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. People who do not have a cell phone or email account or need assistance can book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).
There are also several changes being made to the vaccine delivery plan to include more vulnerable groups to priority vaccination including all pregnant woman, young adults ages 16 and 17 who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable and everyone over the age of 40 in the far north.
Pregnant women and vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds will receive an eligibility letter from their physician and will need to use the 1-833-SaskVax telephone number to book.
Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.
Regina drive thru vaccination clinic open to ages 49-54 ONLY
The Regina COVID-19 vaccine drive thru has expanded eligibility to include all residents aged 49-54 years only. This clinic will be first come first serve, open 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily at Evraz Place on the Regina Exhibition grounds. For further information on all drive-thru clinics in the province, including wait times, see https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/COVID-19-Vaccine-Drive-Thru-Wait-Times.aspx.
The speed of the immunization delivery plan continues to be dependent on vaccine supply.
