There are 87 new cases of COVID-19 and 114 recoveries to report in Saskatchewan on March 17, bringing the provincial total to 30,970 cases.
One Saskatchewan resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has died. The death was reported in the 80+ age group from the North West zone.
South East region reported five new cases all in Zone 1 to the northwest of the corner. Estevan’s Zone 4 has eight active cases.
The other new cases are located in the Far North West (2), Far North East (5), North West (5), North Central (1), North East (8), Saskatoon (20), Central East (7), Regina (27), South West (1) and South Central (2) zones. Four (4) new cases are pending residence information. Six (6) cases with pending residence information were assigned to the North Central (5) and Regina (1) zones.
There are a total of 29,296 recoveries and 1,264 cases are considered active.
One hundred thirty-nine (139) people are in hospital. One hundred and eight (108) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (2), Far North East (1), North West (6), North Central (5), Saskatoon (42), Central East (7), Regina (42), South West (1), South Central (1) and South East (1). Thirty-one (31) people are in intensive care: North West (1), Saskatoon (15), Central East (3), Regina (11) and South Central (1).
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 135 (11.0 new cases per 100,000).
There were 2,597 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 16.
To date, 617,664 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 15, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 518,962 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 685,923 tests performed per million population.
Through a partnership with the SHA and CanCOGeN, funding of more than $333,000 has been provided for additional equipment, and specimen and reagent storage at the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (RRPL). This enabled the RRPL to add additional testing capacity for variants of concern (VOC).
As of March 17, there are no new confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases to report. There are 135 confirmed variants of concern cases in Saskatchewan: 129 B1.1.1.7 (UK)and six B1.351 (SA). One previously reported B1.1.1.7 (UK) variant case was identified as a duplicate and removed. The Regina zone accounts for 121 (or 90 per cent) of the confirmed VOC cases reported in Saskatchewan.
In addition to the confirmed cases, there are currently 313 presumptive VOC cases reported in the Far North East (1), Saskatoon (6), Central East (5), Regina (264), South Central (23) and South East (14) zones.
Vaccination progress
An additional 4,096 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 112,764.
The 4,096 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (21), Far North East (62), Far North Central (10), North East (133), North West (576), North Central (50), Saskatoon (635), Central East (11), Central West (131), Regina (2,392), and South West (75). Of the doses administered March 16, 1,878 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.
On March 16, a total of 20,197 appointments were booked using the new appointment systems: 13,246 online and 6,951 by telephone.
Because of the successful start to the Saskatchewan Health Authority vaccine booking system, Saskatchewan will be moving into Phase Two (under age 70) sooner than expected.
Those residents over the age of 70 who have not yet made their vaccination appointment are encouraged to book today. Appointments are still available over the next two weeks, before the end of March. Once eligible, you are always eligible, but we want to ensure those at highest risk get their vaccination while they are prioritized in Phase One.
The drive-thru immunization clinic in Regina is available to residents aged 60-64. 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.
Stay safe on St. Patrick's Day
- Support local eateries with take-out and curbside pick-up.
- Take your gathering outside. Up to 10 individuals may gather outside with appropriate distancing and no sharing of food or drink.
- Stick to one venue/location; pub crawls are high risk and strongly discouraged.
- All restaurants and licensed establishments must continue to follow the guidelines at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-establishments.
For residents in Regina and the surrounding area, please take extra precautions: it is highly recommended indoor gatherings continue to be with immediate household only at this time, and opt for take-out and curbside pick-up.
