COVID-19 UPDATE FOR APRIL 3: MORE THAN 214,000 VACCINES ADMINISTERED, 280 NEW CASES, 190 RECOVERIES, NO NEW DEATHS

Vaccines Reported

An additional 5,504 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 214,246.

The 5,504 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (11), North West (283), Saskatoon (1,854), Central East (1,035), Regina (1,318), South Central (462), South West (383) and South East (158).

The COVID-19 vaccine appointment booking system currently includes residents 58 years of age and older. Eligible residents are encouraged to book their COVID-19 vaccinations online or by phone.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

One fifth of Saskatchewan residents in their 80s have now received their second dose of vaccine and are fully vaccinated:

For a list of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-update.

The AstraZeneca shipment from the United States has arrived and has been distributed. The remaining doses from the March 22 Moderna shipment are expected to arrive April 3 (7,200) and April 7 (1,400).

Vaccination Information to be Added to COVID-19 Dashboard

On Monday, April 5, the Ministry of Health will launch a new dashboard with details on vaccine administration in the province, including first and second doses administered by age range. In preparation for the launch of the new dashboard, the Ministry will be updating reporting systems used for vaccination information. Due to this transition, vaccine data will not be available on Sunday, April 4.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 280 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on April 3, bringing the provincial total to 34,323 cases. COVID-19 cases by specific region can be found here.

There are no new deaths to report today. The total number of deaths was incorrectly reported yesterday as 437 and should be 436 as a death was previously incorrectly reported.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (6 ), Far North East (1), North West (18), North Central (3), North East (11), Saskatoon (51), Central West (1) Central East (10), Regina (127), South West (6), South Central (20), and South East (24) zones. Two (2) new cases have pending residence information. One case has been assigned to the North West (1) zone.  There are a total of 31,744 recoveries and 2,143 cases are considered active.

One hundred eighty-nine (189) people are in hospital.  One hundred and forty-seven (147) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East (1), North West (9), North Central (2), Saskatoon (41), Central East (12), Regina (72), South Central (1), South East (9).  Forty-two (42) people are in intensive care: North Central (2), Saskatoon (9), Central East (2), Regina (26) and South Central (3).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 220 (17.9 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available on the Government of Saskatchewan website at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,336 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 2, 2021.

To date, 677,547 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of March 31, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 563,795 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 730,689 tests performed per million population. The Public Health Agency website has not been updated and last available numbers are as of March 31st.

Please note: Variants of concern (VOC) are beginning to rise across southern Saskatchewan, particularly in the Moose Jaw and Weyburn areas.  Residents in these areas are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures:

• Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces
• Wash non-medical masks daily
• Maintain physical distancing
• Wash your hands frequently
• Reduce activities outside of your home.  Order take-out or curbside pick-up.  If you are able to work from home, work from home at this time.
• Avoid all unnecessary travel to and from Moose Jaw and Weyburn.

All Saskatchewan residents should monitor active cases in their area and adjust their activity accordingly. Active and new case information for each area can be found at  https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test.  If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known.  Testing information is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.

As of April 2, 2,226 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North East (2) North West (1), North Central (16), Saskatoon (117), Central West (12), Central East (32), Regina (1,578), South West (7), South Central (173) and South East (157 ) zones. There are 131 cases with area of 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 are zero (0) new lineage results being reported today. Of the 949 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 941 are B1.1.1.7 (UK) and eight are B1.351 (SA).  The Regina zone accounts for 802 (84 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.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among healthcare workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at
http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Public Health Measures 

The provincial public health orders announced Tuesday, March 9 and the Regina and area revisions announced Tuesday, March 24 are in effect until April 12, 2021 and will be reviewed at that time.

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Regina and area, revisions made March 24 include: restricting private indoor gatherings to immediate household members only; all restaurants and licensed establishments must close for in-person dining; and most event venues supporting 30 persons or less are not permitted to operate.

Travel is also not recommended in or out of the Regina area unless absolutely necessary.  It is strongly recommended that all individuals in the Regina area able to work from home do so.

Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

Keep Easter Celebrations Safe

All Saskatchewan residents are asked to keep their Easter weekend safe and abide by the public health recommendations and measures in place.  Consider making gatherings virtual and keep your Easter egg hunt to your immediate household only.

• Except for the Regina region, private indoor gatherings must be from two to three consistent households and cannot exceed 10 people.
• For the city of Regina and area, all indoor private gatherings are limited to immediate households only. Individuals who live alone and single parents of minor children are permitted to meet with one consistent household of less than five individuals.
• If you are outside the Regina area and have a consistent household bubble gathering safely, purchase your Easter dinner groceries ahead of time with only one member of the household shopping.  One person should handle the preparation of food and drink following proper food safety protocols and while wearing a non-medical mask.  All served food should be plated by a single person. Or, consider having individual portions delivered from a restaurant or caterer.
• If anyone in the household feels unwell, even with the most-mild symptoms, do not continue with plans and seek COVID-19 testing immediately.
• Travel is not recommended in or out of the Regina area unless absolutely necessary. Non-essential travel, including interprovincial travel, is strongly discouraged.
• Places of worship must follow the current guidelines, available at  www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/public-health-measures

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to [email protected].

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe.  www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.

(Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Government/Saskatchewan Government News Release)