A Saskatchewan resident in their 80s from the Far North region has died from complications related to COVID-19. The province now has five deaths related to having been infected with the virus.
Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab held the daily briefing about the most recent statistics about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Shahab noted that the Ministry of Health has received questions surrounding the time and process of reporting COVID-19 fatalities.
It is important to record and report COVID-19 cases and death in a uniform way, to ensure all jurisdictions have a consistent approach to reporting and that the evolving science can draw from this information. COVID-19 fatalities must be confirmed by the medical health officer to ensure that the case meets the criteria in order to be documented in the epidemiological reporting tools, before they can be publicly reported by the ministry.
Saskatchewan has 12 new cases of COVID-19 as of April 27, bringing the provincial total to 365. Eleven of the 12 new cases today are in the Far North and one is in the North region.
Seventy-two of the 365 cases are considered active. Recoveries remain at 288 people.
There are currently seven people in hospitals across the province. Five people are receiving inpatient care and two people are in intensive care.
Of the 365 cases in the province, including those who have recovered, 139 cases are travellers; 149 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings; 35 have no known exposures; 42 are under investigation by local public health, and 38 of the cases are health care workers. The source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
By region, 150 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 74 from the Regina area, 69 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 46 from the far north.
By age category, 30 cases involve people 19 years of age and under; 132 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 124 are in the 40-59 age range; 68 are in the 60-79 age range; and 11 are in the 80-plus range.
About 51 per cent of the cases are males and 49 per cent are females.
To date, 28,296 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 24, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers are available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 21,880 people tested per million population and exceeds the national rate of 17,812 people tested per million population.
As of April 27, 2020, 29 of the province’s Far North cases are in La Loche. The cases in the La Loche area are connected to the outbreak at the oilsands camp in northern Alberta.
Saskatchewan residents are reminded that there is a Public Health Order restricting all non-essential travel into and out of northern Saskatchewan, specifically the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.
Dr. Shahab has also strongly recommended against non-essential travel between communities within northern Saskatchewan.
COVID-19 is present throughout Saskatchewan and all communities are at risk. Everyone should continue to take preventative measures, including maintaining physical distancing as much as possible.
If you are experiencing 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 tool at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-self-assessment.
