Saskatchewan Announces 223 New Cases Of COVID-19, 232 Recoveries, Five Deaths

Vaccines Reported

An additional 8,415 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 545,459.

The 8,415 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 312; Far North East, 125; North West, 793; North Central, 427; North East, 315; Saskatoon, 1,404; Central West, 468; Central East, 484; Regina, 1,832; South West, 452; South Central, 538; and South East, 983.  There were 282 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-two per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Sixty-two per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Fifty-three per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.  As the source database for vaccine information, Panorama is subject to continuous data updates which may result in revised counts, day over day.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 26+; Changes to 23+ Tomorrow

Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program is currently age 26 and older.  Effective at 8 a.m. tomorrow (May 14), eligibility will expand to age 23 and older.  It remains age 18 and older for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.  This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-ins, pharmacies and mobile clinics.

Prioritized front-line workers are also eligible.  A list of those occupations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vax-eligibility.  Eligible priority groups may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system.  Prioritized front-line workers will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).

Residents aged 26+ may book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.  Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province.  For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

The current list of pharmacies offering vaccinations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  Find participating pharmacies near you using the map tool.

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.

The vaccination clinic in Drayton, North Dakota has changed its hours.  Eligible truck drivers and essential energy workers will be able to receive their vaccine between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811.  Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911.  Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 223 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 13, bringing the provincial total to 43,926 cases.  Thirty cases tested out of province were added to the following zones: Far North West, 5; Far North East, 10; North West, 4; North East, 1; Central West, 1; Central East, 1; Saskatoon, 4; and Regina, 4.

There are five new deaths reported today.  One death in the 60-69 age group from the Far North East zone; two deaths in the 70-79 age group from the Far North East and North Central zones; and two deaths from the 80+ age group from the North West and Regina zones.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 7; Far North East, 9; North West, 15; North Central, 12; North East, 6; Saskatoon, 71; Central West, 8; Central East, 28; Regina, 24; South West, 5; South Central, 17; and South East, 15.  Six new cases are pending residence information.  One case with pending residence information has been assigned to the North West zone.

A detailed map of COVID-19 case locations can be found here.

Recoveries total 41,381 and 2,032 cases are considered active.

There are 161 people in hospital.  One hundred and twenty-six people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West, 1; North West, 5; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 57; Central East, 4; Regina, 41; South West, 4; South Central, 6; and South East, 4.  Thirty-five people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 14; Central East, 1; and Regina, 18.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 212 (17.3 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,415 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 11, 2021.

To date, 812,142 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of May 11, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 681,974 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 868,331.

As of May 12, 8,782 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 198; Far North East, 8; North West, 346; North Central, 261; North East, 52; Saskatoon, 1,152; Central West, 94; Central East, 409; Regina, 4,299; South West, 285; South Central, 634; and South East, 902. There are 142 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are one hundred and seventy new lineage results reported today.  Of the 3,668 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 3,606 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 53 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).

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.

Keep Garage Sales Safe

Spending more time at home may have meant cleaning out those closets and basement nooks and you are ready for a garage sale.  All garage sale guidance is based on outdoors generally being safer than indoors, the current approved gathering limits as well as physical distancing.

No sales are to be conducted inside the garage. Tables may be set up at the front of the garage door opening; however, customers must remain outside the building.

For the complete guidance on garage sales, see https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/re-open-saskatchewan-plan/guidelines/yard-and-garage-sale-guidelines

Negative COVID-19 Test Results On Your Phone

Beginning Wednesday, May 19 you may receive notification of a negative COVID-19 test result through an automated text messaging system.  To prepare for this notification option, starting Friday, May 14, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will introduce data collection through the online requisition form at drive-thru and static testing sites.  All patients who have a positive COVID-19 test result will still receive a call from public health, providing them with direction on self-isolation and to complete contact tracing questions.  If your COVID-19 test is negative, you can receive your results by text message to your cell phone.

You will be asked to grant permission to receive negative test results via text message at the time of your COVID-19 test.  These text messages will be identified as originating from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and you will be asked to verify if you are the correct recipient for the results.  If you are not the right recipient and an incorrect contact number has been provided, the Saskatchewan Health Authority will use other contact methods to provide those negative test results to the right person.  You will not been asked for any personal information via text message.

Don’t Let COVID-19 Hitch a Ride Home with You

While Saskatchewan continues to monitor COVID-19 trends throughout the province, public health reminds all residents to ensure any travel both within the province and inter-provincially is for essential purposes only.

If your interprovincial travel is necessary, please be aware of the risk of transmission in those jurisdictions, the public health orders that are in effect there, and plan to be tested immediately upon returning home.

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.