Nearly 2000 Variants of Concern Have Been Reported in Saskatchewan

There are 254 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 34,043 cases.

One Saskatchewan resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.  The person was in their sixties and was in the Saskatoon zone.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (1), Far North East (3), North West (13), North Central (12), North East (9), Saskatoon (36), Central East (8), Regina (112), South Central (22) and South East (31) zones. Seven (7) new cases have pending residence information. Two cases have been assigned to the Regina (1) and North West (1) zones.  There are a total of 31,554 recoveries and 2,053 cases are considered active.

One hundred 193 people are in hospital.  156 people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East (1), North West (6), North Central (2), Saskatoon (48), Central East (10), Regina (80), South Central (2), South East (7).  37 people are in intensive or critical care: Saskatoon (9), Central East (1), North West (1), North Central (2), South Central (1) and Regina (23).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 212 (17.3 new cases per 100,000).

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 Friday 1,951 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North East (2), North Central (12), Saskatoon (72), Central West (8), Central East (30), Regina (1,419), South West (7), South Central (151) and South East (127) zones. There are 123 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 61 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 (85 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.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 8,109 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 208,742.

The 8,109 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (242), Far North East (138), North Central (500), North West (413), North East (604), Saskatoon (2,225), Central West (11), Central East (1,599), Regina (1,911), South West (242) and South East (224).

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.

Watch for updates. These services are opening over the weekend in more communities, including Prince Albert, North Battleford and Weyburn.

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

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.