There are 289 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on April 18, bringing the provincial total to 38,160 cases. Weyburn has five new COVID cases, with 103 active cases now in the Weyburn area, and 313 active cases for the southeast region.
One case with pending residence information was reassigned to the Southeast. Five cases were found to be out-of-province residents and were removed from the Central West (1), Central East (1) and Saskatoon (2) zones, and cases with pending residence information (1). Three cases not previously reported were added to the Saskatoon zone (2) and cases with pending residence information (1).
There is one new death reported in the 50 to 59 age group in the North Central zone.
The new cases are located in the Far North West (9), Far North East (2), Northwest (21), North Central (12), Northeast (2), Saskatoon (32), Central West (7), Central East (26), Regina (106), Southwest (6), South Central (15) and Southeast (41) zones. Ten new cases have pending residence information.
There are a total of 34,953 recoveries, with 205 new recoveries as of April 18, and 2,742 cases are considered active.
There are 189 people in hospital, and 144 people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (1), Far North East (1), Northwest (4), North Central (7), Northeast (1), Saskatoon (42), Central East (8), Regina (66), Southwest (1), South Central (6) and Southeast (7). Forty-five people are in intensive care: North Central (2), Saskatoon (10), Central East (1), Regina (30) and South Central (2).
The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case number was 261 (21.3 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.
Vaccines Reported
An additional 11,063 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 345,126.
The 11,063 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far North West (28), Far North Central (9), Far North East (58), Northwest (638), North Central (925), Northeast (170), Saskatoon (3,003), Central West (129), Central East (766), Regina (2,624), Southwest (203), South Central (1,270) and Southeast (997). There were 243 doses administered with zone of residence pending.
Forty-nine per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 40+ have received their first dose.
The Ministry of Health has been informed of a reduction in the April 26 Moderna shipment. Saskatchewan's allocation has been reduced by 47 per cent, from 35,800 doses to 18,800 doses. The Ministry is working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Indigenous Services Canada to determine the potential impact this reduction could have on booked appointments, and the pharmacy vaccination pilot project, and will have an update in the coming days.
Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 48+
In an effort to continue to protect residents as quickly as possible, the eligible age for booking vaccination appointments online or by telephone has been lowered to 48 years.
Appointments can be made online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. People who do not have a cell phone or email account or need assistance can book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).
Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.
Drive-Thru Vaccination Clinics Open to 48-54 Years
All drive-through and walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics are available to residents aged 48-54 years.Vaccine supply remains limited and drive-through/walk-in clinics may close early when all vaccine is administered.
The drive-through immunization clinic in Regina has now used up its supply of vaccine and has temporarily closed. Unless there is an unexpected increase in available vaccine supply, the Regina drive-thru clinic is not anticipated to re-open until May 2.
For further information on drive-thru clinics in the province, including hours of operation and wait times, see www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/COVID-19-Vaccine-Drive-Thru-Wait-Times.aspx.
There were 3,623 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 17, including 460 tests in the southeast region.
To date, 728,491 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of April 16, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 610,828 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 784, 188 tests performed per million population.
As of April 17, 4,664 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North West (24), Far North East (2), Northwest (66), North Central (55), Northeast (6), Saskatoon (441), Central West (59), Central East (168), Regina (2,857), Southwest (103), South Central (379) and Southeast (452) zones. There are 52 cases with residence pending.
There are 206 new lineage results being reported today. Of the 1,918 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 1,909 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK) and nine are B.1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 1,411 (74 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.
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
Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Saskatchewan, the Chief Medical Health Officer announced amendments to the Public Health Order.
Since April 13, household bubbles are limited to immediate household members only for all of Saskatchewan. Persons who live alone and single parents of minor children are permitted to meet with one consistent household of less than five individuals. Co-parenting arrangements are permitted to continue. Caregivers, support personnel and tradespersons who are not a member of the household are not included in the maximum number of people allowed in that household.
The new Public Health Order also includes limits on worship gathering sizes to allow no more than 30 people.
Full details on current public health measures, including the additional measures in effect for Regina and area, can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.
These Public Health Order measures are in effect until April 26 and will be reviewed at that time.
Residents are also 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 throughout the province at this time
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.
