Two COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Saskatchewan on Thursday, bringing the province’s total up to 460 since the pandemic began.
One of the recently deceased was in their 70s from the Regina zone while the other was reported in the 80-plus age group from south east, according to a press release.
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Health officials said on Thursday there were 293 new cases, with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 37,384. The seven-day average of new daily infections is up from 271 on Wednesday to 284. The last time the average was reported higher was on Jan. 21 at 286.
According to the provincial government, 4,183 variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan and were reported in the far north west (10), far north east (2), north west (51), north central (48), north east (4), Saskatoon (372), central west (44), central east (135), Regina (2,673), south west (67), south central (342) and south east (398) zones. The residences of 37 VOC cases are pending.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 188 patients with COVID-19 — 147 are receiving inpatient care and 41 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 2,599 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
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The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 34,325 following 223 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,573 COVID-19 tests were performed on Wednesday. To date, 717,486 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 315,405 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage, visit the Global News coronavirus web page.
