Sask. reports 18 new COVID cases; total goes over 2,000 mark

The number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Saskatchewan since March went over the 2,000 mark Thursday, when 18 new cases were reported.

Six of the new cases are in the Saskatoon area, with three in the far northwest region, two in each of the far northeast, north-central and central-east zones, and one in each of the northwest, Regina and southeast regions.

The five new cases in the far north have prompted a lockdown on the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said there have been six confirmed cases and five unconfirmed cases related to religious gatherings in Prince Albert.

“When we have an event like this, public health reaches out very quickly to anyone who was out at that event and encourages anyone who was at that event who is symptomatic to be tested, so we expect that number to go up,” Shahab said during a conference call with media Thursday.

“By detecting cases early, those cases can self-isolate and their close contacts can self-isolate and that is the true and tried and tested way of breaking the chain of transmission.”

Shahab said health authorities in Alberta and Manitoba have also been alerted about the outbreak because it appears there were speakers at the event from those provinces.

The total number of cases in the province since March is 2,012. The total went from 1,899 to its current level in nine days.

“Most of the recent cases over the past three to four weeks have been in several clusters and have included some situations where events have been linked to large gatherings, situations where all the guidelines weren’t being followed as well as they could have been,” Shahab said.

There were 13 recoveries reported Thursday, increasing that total so far to 1,845. To date, 24 residents of the province have died after testing positive for COVID-19.

The number of active cases being reported stands at 143.

Seven people are in hospital, an increase of five since Tuesday.

Inpatient care is being provided to five individuals in Saskatoon and one person in Regina. One person is in intensive care in Regina.

The total number of cases to date has included 998 community contacts (including mass gatherings), a figure that has gone up by 54 since the start of October.

The number of cases without any known exposures has increased from 564 on Oct. 1 to 585 as of Thursday.

Shahab said authorities are continuing to keep an eye on the number of cases where there isn’t a known exposure.

“That’s a really important metric that we are following. About three weeks ago, about seven per cent of our cases had no link to a known case. Then it went up to around 12 per cent two weeks ago (and) now it’s around 18 per cent,” Shahab said.

There also have been 304 cases involving travellers and 125 that remain under investigation by local public health officials.

The number of health-care workers to contract the virus stands at 77.

There have been 458 cases from the south area (225 southwest, 205 south-central, 28 southeast), 420 in the Saskatoon zone, 365 in the far north (354 far northwest, 11 far northeast), 286 from the central area (177 central-west, 109 central-east), 285 from the north (133 northwest, 83 north-central, 69 northeast), and 198 in the Regina region.

The total comprises 664 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 611 from ages 40 to 59, 347 involving people 19 and under, 322 between the ages of 60 and 79, and 68 in the 80-and-over range.

There were 1,767 tests done in Saskatchewan on Wednesday, hiking the provincial total to date to 1,767.

Guidelines for Thanksgiving gatherings

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Ministry of Health reminded residents that indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 30 people, provided those who aren’t from the same household can physically distance.

It also said shared meals between non-household members are discouraged. So too is non-essential or recreational travel to or from Saskatchewan.

Shahab suggested people connect virtually instead of gather for a large dinner.

Details on the province’s Thanksgiving guidelines can be found here.