COVID-19 UPDATE FOR APRIL 4: 221 NEW CASES, 165 RECOVERIES, THREE NEW DEATHS
Vaccination Information to be Added to COVID-19 Dashboard
Tomorrow 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 is currently updating reporting systems used for vaccination information. Due to this transition, vaccine data is not available today (Sunday, April 4). Today’s data will be included in tomorrow’s new dashboard.
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. For information on drive-thru clinics, see https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/COVID-19-Vaccine-Drive-Thru-Wait-Times.aspx.
7,200 doses of Moderna vaccine have now arrived in Saskatchewan and have been distributed to the Far North West, Far North East, North East and South East zones. The remaining doses from the March 22 Moderna shipment (14,100) are expected to arrive in Saskatchewan April 7.
Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 221 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on April 4, bringing the provincial total to 34,544 cases. The COVID-19 Dashboard is available here.
There are three new deaths to report today. Two deaths were reported in the 50-59 age group from the Regina zone and one death was reported in the 80+ age group from the South East zone.
The new cases are located in the Far North East (7), North West (7), North Central (3), North East (6), Saskatoon (27), Central East (13), Regina (112), South West (4), South Central (15), and South East (26) zones. One (1) new case has pending residence information. One case with pending residence information has been assigned to the North Central zone. There are a total of 31,909 recoveries and 2,196 cases are considered active.
One hundred ninety-four (194) people are in hospital. One hundred and fifty (150) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East (1), North West (10), North Central (2), Saskatoon (45), Central West (1), Central East (13), Regina (69), South Central (1) and South East (8). Forty-four (44) people are in intensive care: North Central (2), Saskatoon (10), Central East (2), Regina (27) and South Central (3).
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 216 (17.6 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 3,527 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 3, 2021.
To date, 681,074 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of April 2, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 570,680 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 729,540 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 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 April 3, 2,367 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North East (4) North West (2), North Central (18), Saskatoon (134), Central West (12), Central East (33), Regina (1,626), South West (7), South Central (180) and South East (167 ) zones. There are 184 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 two (2) new lineage results being reported today. Of the 951 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 943 are B1.1.1.7 (UK) and eight are B1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 803 (84 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.
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, 2021 and will be reviewed at that time.
Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Regina and area, revisions made March 24 include: 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 or your immediate household only.
- Except for 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. Individuals who live alone and single parents of minor children are permitted to meet with one consistent household of less than five individuals.
- If you are outside the Regina area and have a consistent household bubble gathering safely, 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. 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.
(Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Government/Saskatchewan Government News Release)