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New and Active Cases of COVID-19 Up Slightly in Saskatchewan

By Les Lazaruk Jun 16, 2021 | 2:11 PM
 Wednesday’s digits were reversed from Tuesday when it came to the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan. The latest update from the Ministry of Health had 74 new cases of the novel coronavirus after 47 were recorded on Tuesday. Coupled with 76 recoveries and the active case count in the province is up slightly from Tuesday to 726. Of those active cases, 92 individuals are in hospital with 12 infections being treated in an I-C-U. There were two deaths in Saskatchewan reported Wednesday, a person in their 70s from the Central East zone and a senior in the 80-and-over age group from the North West zone.
Once again, there was no change in the percentages in the provincial population aged 18-and-over, as well as 12-and-over, when it comes to having received their first COVID-19 immunizations. They remain at 69 and 67 per cent, respectively following Tuesday’s 12,013 shots administered for a total of 922,335. Meanwhile, age eligibility for second doses of vaccine will be expanded to Saskatchewan residents aged 45-and-over on Thursday or anyone who received their first shot on or before May 1st.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 74 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on June 16, bringing the provincial total to 48,125 cases.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 1; North West, 4; North Central, 5; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 16; Central West, 4; Central East, 6; Regina, 29; South West, 1; South Central, 1; and South East, 3.

Nine residents tested out of province were added to the Far North East, 2; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 3; South Central, 1; and South East, 1, zones. One case is pending residence information.  One case deemed to be an out-of-province resident was removed from the Far North East count.

Two news deaths were reported today.  One death was reported in the 80+ age group from the North West Zone and one death was reported in the 70 to 79 age group from the Central East zone.

Recoveries total 46,837 and 726 cases are considered active.

There are 92 people in hospital.  Eighty people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 10; North Central, 8; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 28; Central East, 4; Regina, 22; South West, 2; South Central, 3; and South East; 2.  Twelve people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 6; and Regina, 4.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 72 (5.9 per 100,000).  This is the lowest seven-day average since November 1, 2020.  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 2,140 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on June 15, 2021.

To date, 893,330 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of June 14, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 751,913 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 942,784.

As of June 15, 11,787 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 286; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 80; North West, 754; North Central, 594; North East, 79; Saskatoon, 2,037; Central West, 129; Central East, 631; Regina, 4,747; South West, 398; South Central, 870; and South East, 1,113.  There are 68 screened VOCs with residence pending.

New lineage results were reported for five Variants of Concern today.  Of the 6,443 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 6,134 are Alpha (B.1.1.7), 231 are Gamma (P.1), 68 are Delta (B.1.617.2) and 10 are Beta (B.1.351).

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 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.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 12,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 922,335.

The 12,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 151; Far North Central, 3; Far North East, 246; North West, 743; North Central, 805; North East, 206; Saskatoon, 3,245; Central West, 318; Central East, 568; Regina, 3,542; South West, 253; South Central, 1,030; and South East, 633.  There were 270 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-nine per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose. Seventy-four per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty-nine per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose, while sixty-seven per cent of those 12+ have also received their first dose.

Status of Population Vaccinations, as of June 14, 2021
Group Estimated
Population
Received
First Dose
Fully 
Vaccinated
Age 80+ 51,304 47,213 (92%) 41,809 (81%)
Age 70-79 79,817 72,707 (91%) 57,613 (72%)
Age 60-69 138,471 117,452 (85%) 67,611 (49%)
Age 50-59 147,466 108,333 (73%) 29,147 (20%)
Age 40-49 151,896 102,845 (68%) 11,918 (8%)
Age 30-39 183,246 104,939 (57%) 10,978 (6%)
Age 18-29 189,909 96,350 (51%) 7,999 (4%)
Age 12-17 90,987 45,056 (50%) 275 (0%)

Note: Age is calculated on the date of the most recent dose.  Someone age 69 at their first dose and 70 at their second will now be counted in the 70-79 group for both doses, resulting in a decrease in the 60-69 first dose number.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Second Doses Available to 50+

Currently, all residents 12+ can receive their first dose and second dose vaccinations are open to residents 50+ or anyone who received their first dose on or before April 15.  Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose.

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose.  Residents who meet at least one of these criteria are eligible for their second dose.

When all persons 12 and older become eligible to receive their second doses starting June 24, vaccinations will be provided based on the manufacturer interval.  For Moderna, this is 28 days after first dose.  For Pfizer, this is 21 days after first dose.  Note that residents may receive their second doses up to four months following their first dose but it’s highly recommended that you receive your second dose as soon as you are eligible.

A limited number of first doses of AstraZeneca have been administered since May 5 to those individuals who have contraindication for mRNA vaccines.  If you received AstraZeneca as recommended by your health care provider after May 5, arrangements will be made to

Vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

As the SHA is encouraging first dose vaccinations, please review clinic information carefully to ensure you are selecting the right clinic for you.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.  If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

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 when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

During your second-dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.