Sask. adds 16 new COVID cases, 20 more recoveries

Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer is suggesting residents reconsider the number of contacts they have to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

In a media release Tuesday — when the province announced there were 16 new cases and 20 recoveries — Dr. Saqib Shahab said people should take stock of their extended households.

“As the risk of local transmission increases, now is the time to reset your household and reduce the risk to those who matter most to you,” Shahab said in the release.

“We are all now part of other cohorts: In the workplace, at school (or) at extracurricular activities. Observing the necessary public health guidance in each of these settings and keeping our close contact list short is a vital step in reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.”

According to the release, residents of the province should limit their extended households to 15 people or less. Those are the people who a person can hug or touch, or those who are part of a person’s daily and weekly routines.

Shahab also recommended a reassessment of extended households. If they include children in schools, school staff, essential employees or vulnerable people like seniors or those with underlying health conditions, that could pose a risk of COVID exposure.

Of the 16 new cases reported Tuesday, six are in the Saskatoon area, three are in the central-east region, two are in the Regina area, two are in the southeast zone, one is in the far northwest and one is the north-central area. The location of one case is still being determined.

The provincial total of cases to date is 1,984.

The 20 recoveries announced Tuesday increased that total so far to 1,821. To date, 24 Saskatchewan residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19.

The number of active cases being reported in the province is 139.

One person is receiving inpatient care in hospital in Saskatoon and one person is in intensive care in Regina.

There have been 456 cases from the south area (225 southwest, 205 south-central, 26 southeast), 410 from the Saskatoon zone, 360 from the far north (351 far northwest, nine far northeast), 282 in the north (132 northwest, 81 north-central, 69 northeast), 281 from the central zone (176 central-west, 105 central-east) and 194 in the Regina region.

Of the total number of cases so far, 984 are community contacts, 570 don’t have any known exposures, 303 are travellers, and 127 remain under investigation by local public health officials.

The total also includes 76 health-care workers.

To date, there have been 656 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 607 from ages 40 to 59, 344 involving people 19 and under, 312 between the ages of 60 and 79, and 65 in the 80-and-over range.

There were 1,597 tests done in Saskatchewan on Monday, increasing the provincial total so far to 203,733.