Four new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Saskatchewan, bringing the provincial total to 577, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday.
All of the new cases are in the far north (La Loche area). One case that was previously reported in the Regina region has been reassigned to the north.
Of the 577 reported cases, 186, or 32 per cent, are considered active. Eleven more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 385.
Sixty-seven per cent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Saskatchewan have recovered.
There are currently 10 people in hospital – seven are receiving inpatient care (four in the north and three in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).
The number of cases in southern Saskatchewan remains at 15. There have been 206 cases in the far north, 163 from the Saskatoon area, 106 from the north, 75 from the Regina area and 12 from the central region.
Of the 577 cases in the province, 139 cases are travellers, 297 are community contacts (including mass gatherings), 65 have no known exposures and 76 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan, 48 cases are health care workers, however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
Seventy-nine cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults. A total of 204 cases are in the 20-39 age range, 179 are in the 40-59 age range, 98 are in the 60-79 age range and 17 are in the 80-plus range.
Fifty per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported.
To date, 38,157 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 10, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 29,631 people tested per million population, which is slightly below the national rate of 30,452 people tested per million population.
The Ministry of Health claims this is due to decreased demand for testing, not a drop in testing capacity, thanks to the success of preventative measures and the reduction in positive cases in many areas of the province.
The provincial state of emergency has been extended for a period of two weeks. Even as active case numbers are low or zero in some regions of the province, residents are reminded that COVID-19 is still present and all public health orders remain in effect. Having few or no active cases demonstrates that personal protective measures are effective and continue to be the best defence against COVID-19.
This is particularly important as businesses and services continue to cautiously re-open and the majority of infected individuals will experience very mild or no symptoms. Gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted and physical distancing must still be practised.
It is highly recommended that people limit contacts outside the household to the same two or three friends or households. Wash your hands frequently and contact HealthLine 811 for an assessment to determine if you should be tested – even if you’re experiencing mild symptoms.
If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
