Latest COVID update Jan. 11: 8 deaths, 412 new cases, 197 in hospital

After being unable to fully report its usual COVID-19 update on Sunday, the provincial government reported eight deaths Monday.

In its daily update, the province reported new COVID-related fatalities, with four in the 80-and-over age range reported in the far northwest, northwest, central-east, and southeast regions. Two deaths in the 60-to-69 age range occurred in the Regina and south-central zones. Single deaths were reported in the 50-to-59 age range in the north-central area and in the 30-to-39 range in the Regina region.

Since March, 199 Saskatchewan residents have died after contracting the virus. That fatality rate has inched up from 1 per cent to 1.1 per cent.

The 412 new cases reported Monday represent the third-highest single-day total reported since the pandemic began. In all, 18,522 cases have been recorded, with 3,735 currently active. The seven-day average of daily new cases has increased to 307, representing the highest-ever rolling average Saskatchewan has seen.

That weekly average is also double the most recent low of 153, recorded on Dec. 30. On that day, Health Minister Paul Merriman told reporters that the latest round of restrictions appeared to be working.

“This may be partially due to fewer people getting tested over the Christmas holiday, but the new case numbers have definitely been trending in the right direction over the past couple of week …,” he said. “These case numbers are still much higher than we would like, but they are trending in the right direction.”

Monday’s update included location data for the 307 new cases reported Sunday as well, after the province experienced an “unexpected, one-day staffing issue” that meant a variety of statistics were not available.

In all, those 719 new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (142), northwest (102), north-central (95), Regina (88), far northeast (80), northeast (48), southeast (47), far northwest (33), central-east (23), south-central (12), far north-central (nine), central-west (four), and southwest (one) zones. Another 35 cases have not been assigned to a location yet.

Nearly 200 people are in hospital, including 31 in intensive care units in the Saskatoon (13), Regina (11), north-central (five), northwest (one), and central-east (one) areas.

Another 166 are hospitalized in the Saskatoon (46), Regina (44), north-central (33), northeast (11), northwest (10), southeast (10), central-east (nine), far northwest (one), far north-central (one), and south-central (one) regions.

The 197 hospitalizations represent an all-time single-day high in Saskatchewan.

There have been 869 cases diagnosed in health-care workers so far this year as well.

There have been 3,900 cases reported in the 19-and-under age range, 6,688 in the 20-to-39 range, 4,693 in the 40-to-59 range, 2,382 in the 60-to-79 range, and 851 in the 80-and-over range.

The highest number of cases to date remains in the Saskatoon (4,909), north (4,753), Regina (3,503), far north (2,310), south (1,867), central (1,077) areas. Public health officials are still working to determining the residence locations of 103 more cases.

The province says vaccinations are continuing at a higher pace, with 8,948 administered in Saskatchewan so far.

The Regina pilot program, which focused on health care workers in Regina, has hit totals of 2,069 first doses and 1,230 second doses. Saskatoon has seen 2,847 doses administered and Prince Albert has done 613, also using the Pfizer vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine, which can be frozen at a higher temperature than the Pfizer brand and is easier to store in rural and remote locations, has been administered in the far northwest zone 596 times, 134 times in the far north-central, 1,071 times in the far northeast, and 388 times in the northeast zone.

Also on the vaccine front, the province confirms that new “guidance” from Pfizer will allow it to distribute that vaccine into long-term and personal care homes and clinics. That should help get the 6,825 doses expected this week into more arms; another 5,400 doses of Moderna are also to arrive this week.