Sask. COVID-19 Update: 57 New Cases, 171 Recoveries, One Death

Vaccines Reported

An additional 12,528 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 828,652.

The 12,528 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 225; Far North Central, 2; Far North East, 200; North West, 407; North Central, 518; North East, 746; Saskatoon, 2,894; Central West, 338; Central East, 790; Regina, 3,624; South West, 489; South Central, 833; and South East, 1,247.  There were 215 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

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

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.

Eligibility for Second Dose Booking for Those 55+ Begins June 10

All residents 12+ can receive their first dose.  Beginning June 10, second dose vaccinations will be open to include residents 55+ or anyone who received their first dose on or before April 7.  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.  The following table is a tentative guideline for those who received Pfizer or Moderna for their first dose; timelines may change due to vaccine availability.

Saskatchewan is expecting another 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, along with 74,880 doses of Pfizer vaccine this week.

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.

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.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 57 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on June 9, bringing the provincial total to 47,574 cases. Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 Dashboard is available here.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 1; Far North East, 4; North West, 5; North Central, 3; North East, 2; Saskatoon, 21; Central West, 1; Central East, 6; Regina, 12; and South Central, 1; and one case is pending residence information.  Five cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the North Central, 4; and North West, 1; zones.

One new death is being reported today in the 50 to 59 age group in the Central West zone.

Recoveries total 46,084 and 938 cases are considered active, marking the first time since November 7, 2020 that Saskatchewan is reporting fewer than 1,000 active cases.

There are 109 people in hospital. Eighty-nine people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West, 1; North West, 13; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 29; Central East, 5; Regina, 31; South West, 1; South Central, 4; and South East; 1.  Twenty people are in intensive care, including one out-of-province transfer from Manitoba: North West, 1; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 8; Central East, 1; Regina, 5; and South West, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 87 (7.1 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 2,203 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on June 8, 2021.

To date, 879,641 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of June 7, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 740,246 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 930,513.

Starting today, the Ministry of Health will begin reporting COVID-19 variants of concern according to the latest designations approved by the World Health Organization and aligns with the designations being used by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

As of June 8, 11,463 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 273; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 73; North West, 706; North Central, 533; North East, 75; Saskatoon, 1,952; Central West, 117; Central East, 625; Regina, 4,718; South West, 388; South Central, 832; and South East, 1,103.  There are 67 screened VOCs with residence pending.

No new lineage results were reported for Variants of Concern today. Of the 6,115 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 5,866 are Alpha (B.1.1.7), 194 are Gamma (P.1), 45 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.

It may not be allergies or a spring cold.  Get tested for COVID-19.

Fever? Cough and headache? Fatigued or experiencing shortness of breath?  Do not “tough it out” or assume it’s spring allergies.  Stay home and seek a COVID-19 test. Testing remains one of the most important tools to limiting the spread of COVID-19 in your community.  Even if you have been recently vaccinated, it can take up to three weeks for your immune system to respond.  Vaccines are not a cure preventing all possible transmission and you remain at risk of contracting COVID-19 during that time.

COVID-19 testing is available to all residents.  You can still receive a referral for COVID-19 testing through HealthLine 811 or a health care provider, and drive-thru testing sites are available without a referral seven days a week in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert.  Information on symptoms to watch for and how to get tested is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.

Step One of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is Underway

Step One of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is underway and public health orders have been updated.  Details on the Re-Opening Roadmap can be viewed at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/saskatchewans-re-opening-roadmap.

Reminder: while the restrictions being lifted are no longer mandatory, many are still recommended.  Older persons and those with increased risk factors may wish to wait until two weeks after receiving a second dose before attending gatherings.  Transmission is generally less likely outdoors than indoors.

Step Two of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap is scheduled to begin on June 20.  If we continue to remain diligent and observe public health measures, we will reach our goal of re-opening our province in the coming weeks.

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 credit: Saskatchewan Government/Saskatchewan Government News Release)