There are 189 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 4, bringing the provincial total to 42,006 cases. There are four new COVID cases in Weyburn, bringing the total of active cases for the area to 54, with 205 active cases for the southeast region.
Twelve cases tested out-of-province have been added to the following zones: North Central, 1; North East, 1; Regina, 1; Saskatoon, 5; South Central, 1; and three cases are pending residence information.
Two new deaths are reported as of May 4. One death was reported in the 70-79 age group from the Far North West. One death occurred in February but is being reported now in the 19 and under age group from the Northwest zone; this death is being reported upon the completion of an investigation that determined the cause to be COVID-19. One death with pending residence has been deemed out-of-province and removed from the counts.
The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 7; Northwest, 27; North Central, 6; Northeast, 2; Saskatoon, 81; Central West, 3; Central East, 10; Regina, 24; Southwest, 8; South Central, 7; and Southeast, 8. Six new cases are pending residence information. Twenty-three cases pending residence information have been assigned to the following zones: Central East, 1; Northwest, 7; South Central, 1; and Regina, 14.
Recoveries total 39,202, including 291 new recoveries as of May 4, and 2,305 cases are considered active.
There are 174 people in hospital, and 133 people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East, 1; Northwest, 7; North Central, 3; Northeast, 2; Saskatoon, 54; Central East, 3; Regina, 52; Southwest, 2; South Central, 4; and Southeast, 5. Forty-one people are in intensive care: North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 14; Central East, 2; Regina, 23; and South Central, 1.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 226 (18.4 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today's average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.
Vaccines Reported
An additional 9,924 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 460,747.
The 9,924 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 48; Far North Central, 2; Far North East, 10; Northwest, 439; North Central, 498; Northeast, 182; Saskatoon, 2,831; Central West, 175; Central East, 757; Regina, 3,289; Southwest, 459; South Central, 472; and Southeast, 425.
There were 337 doses administered with zone of residence pending.
Eighty-two per cent of Saskatchewan residents over age 60 have received their first dose. Sixty-five per cent of those 40+ have received their first dose. Forty-four per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.
Regina was scheduled to receive 200 doses of AstraZeneca from the U.S. on May 4.
Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 37+
The provincial age-based immunization program is now open to individuals age 37+, and age 18+ for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-ins, pharmacies and mobile clinics.
Prioritized front-line workers are also eligible. A list of these occupations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vax-eligibility. Eligible priority groups may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system. Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.
Prioritized front-line workers will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).
Residents aged 37+ may also book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. People who do not have a cell phone or email account, need assistance in booking, or are providing documentation for priority eligibility status must 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.
Please remember that demand for appointments outweighs current available supply. While travel throughout the province is not recommended at this time, there may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization. Additional stops should be avoided if possible. More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province. For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.
As of May 5, eligible truck drivers and essential energy workers can receive the vaccine at Kenmare, N.D. from noon to 8 p.m. until Friday, May 7.
Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811. Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911. Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.
Pharmacy Vaccination Pilot Expanded
Additional pharmacies have been added to the pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination pilot program including pharmacies in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Lloydminster, North Battleford and Weyburn. These pharmacies will be able to take appointments for vaccination, vaccinations based on age groups and populations who are eligible on the day the appointment is booked.
The list of pharmacies participating in the pilot is now available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.
The pharmacy vaccination pilot rollout continues, refining distribution and vaccination processes so appointments may be limited. Additional pharmacies in more communities will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available in the coming weeks.
There were 2,515 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 3, including 119 tests in the southeast region.
To date, 782,870 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of May 2, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 657,903 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 839,302.
As of May 3, 7,417 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 141; Far North East, 2; Northwest, 236; North Central, 145; Northeast, 28; Saskatoon, 867; Central West, 87; Central East, 309; Regina, 3,983; Southwest, 219; South Central, 553; and Southeast, 744. There are 103 screened VOCs with residence pending.
There are no new lineage results reported today. Of the 2,522 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,491 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 22 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 1,678 (67 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.
Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care 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.
