(The Canadian Press)

By paNOW Staff

COVID Update

199 new cases and 205 recoveries reported in Saskatchewan

Apr 1, 2021 | 2:09 PM

The Saskatchewan government has reported 199 new cases and 205 recoveries from COVID-19 on April 1 bringing the provincial total to 33,789 cases.

The new cases in northern Saskatchewan are located the Far North East (three), North Central (nine), and North East (10) zones. Five cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the Regina (four) and North Central (one) zones.

The Saskatchewan government reported 199 new cases of COVID-19 on April 1. (Government of Saskatchewan)

One hundred ninety-three (193) people are in hospital. One hundred and fifty-nine (159) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East (one), North West (six), North Central (two), Saskatoon (49), Central East (eight), Regina (78), South West (one), South Central (two), South West (one) and South East (11). Thirty-four (34) people are in intensive care: Saskatoon (10), Central East (one) and Regina (23). It has been determined there have been discrepancies in previously reported data for acute care hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Saskatchewan. These discrepancies in previous reports were a result of how patients who receive intensive care in a surge bed outside of an ICU were being recorded. The above data is accurate and reflects the updated reporting.

As of April 1, there are 193 hospitalizations across the province related to COVID-19. (Government of Saskatchewan)

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The seven-day average of daily new cases is 206 (16.8 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 3,982 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 31.

To date, 669,431 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 30, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 561,268 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 727,313 tests performed per million population.

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

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 March 31, 1,682 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North East (one), North Central (nine), Saskatoon (53), Central West (five), Central East (27), Regina (1,348), South West (one), South Central (129) and South East (109) zones.

These have previously been reported as “presumptive positives” but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations.

There are 395 new lineage results being reported today. Of the 890 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 882 are B1.1.1.7 (UK) and eight are B1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 744 (or 84 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan. Note: Five VOC WGS results (South Central–two, Regina– two, Saskatoon–one) previously reported found to be duplicate tests and have been removed from the counts.

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, the per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website. Please visit http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

NITHA Data

As of March 31, there are 43 active cases of COVID-19 in NITHA communities.

These cases are located in the Far North Central, Athabasca (0), Far North West (four), Far North East (20), North Central (three), and North East (16). There have been 3,296 cases (98 per cent) recovered.

As of March 31, there are 43 cases of COVID-19 in NITHA communities in Saskatchewan. (NITHA/Facebook)

Vaccines Reported

An additional 7,706 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 200,633.

The 7,706 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (381), Far North East (262), North Central (48), North East (22), Saskatoon (2,294), Central West (11), Central East (1111), Regina (2,110), South West (839), South Central (101) and South East (527).

The total number of vaccines administered across the province now sits at 200,633, with 7,706 doses reported on April 1. (Government of Saskatchewan)

The COVID-19 vaccine appointment booking system will expand to include residents 58 years of age and older, effective Friday, April 2. Eligible residents are encouraged to book their COVID-19 vaccinations and can do so 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 listing 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 arrives today and deliveries are on route to Regina (29,100), Saskatoon (11,000), North Battleford (900), and Prince Albert (4,300). A Moderna shipment is expected the week of April 12.

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. During this transition the vaccine data will not be available on Saturday, April 3 and Sunday, April 4.

The most recent map from the Government of Saskatchewan shows the distribution of all 1,949 active cases of COVID-19 across the province. (Submitted photo/Government of Saskatchewan)

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 and will be reviewed at that time.

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Regina and area, revisions were made March 24 including: 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.

• With the exception of 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 with individuals who live alone and single parents of minor children permitted to meet with one consistent household of less than five individuals at this time.
• 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 and 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 COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

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.

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panews@jpbg.ca

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