Saskatchewan has 19 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 531, the Ministry of Health said Thursday.
Fifteen of the new cases are in the far north, with 12 of those being in the La Loche area, while the remaining four are in the north region.
Of the 531 reported cases, 196, or 37 per cent are considered active.
Seventeen more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 329. Sixty-two per cent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered.
There are currently 12 people in hospital – eight are receiving inpatient care (two in the north and six in Saskatoon) and four are in intensive care (three in Saskatoon and one in the north).
Of the 531 cases in the province, 139 cases are travellers, 231 are community contacts (mass gatherings included), 53 have no known exposures and 108 are under investigation by local public health.
The number of diagnosed cases for the south region remains at 15. There are 167 cases from the far north, 163 are from the Saskatoon area, 99 from the north, 76 from the Regina area and 11 from the central region.
Forty-three cases are health care workers, however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
Seventy-one cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults, with 188 cases in the 20-39 age range, 163 in the 40-59 age range, 93 in the 60-79 age range and 16 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, 34,361 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 5, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 26,605 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 25,821 people tested per million population.
With the outbreak in the Lloydminster Hospital stable, the government says the border city may proceed with plans to open services and businesses as described in phase one of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, starting May 11.
Services and businesses will be required to follow the phased approach and safety procedures required under the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.
All residents must continue to follow necessary personal protective measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, including maintaining physical distancing, participating in no gatherings more than 10 people, washing hands frequently, etc.
Opening is at the discretion of the workplace, based on their risk assessment and ability to operate safely, protecting staff and customers. Proceeding with phase two will be determined by public health officials and local leadership.
