Latest COVID update March 23: Regina reports majority of new cases, variants

The Regina region continues to report the most cases of COVID-19 variants of concern in Saskatchewan.

According to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, the region has 763 of the 891 variant cases that have been detected by screening in Saskatchewan. The others are in the south-central (56), southeast (43), Saskatoon (18), central-east (10) and far northeast (one) zones.

The Regina zone also has 312 of the 360 confirmed cases of variants of concern determined by whole genome sequencing in the province. In total, 352 cases are the United Kingdom variant, while eight are the South African strain.

The ministry also revealed 91 of the 150 new cases reported in the province on Tuesday were in the Regina region. The zone has recorded 540 new cases over the past six days.

The case numbers in the area prompted the provincial government to amend the public health order Tuesday, limiting private indoor gatherings to immediate households, closing bars and restaurants starting Saturday at midnight and asking people not to travel into or out of the area.

“The rest of the province is coming down really well,” Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said during a media conference. “We need to stay the course for the rest of the province while our vaccination numbers pick up.

“In Regina, unfortunately, the numbers have been trending up and primarily it’s because of variants of concern. They are 70 per cent more transmissible. Even workplaces that were following protocols that worked for the last 14 months, they were failing over the last few weeks.”

The other new cases reported Tuesday were in the northeast (12), northwest (nine), north-central (eight), Saskatoon (eight), central-east (eight), southeast (six), south-central (three), far northwest (one), far north-central (one), far northeast (one) and southwest (one) zones.

The hometown of one new new case is still to be determined.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 158, or 12.9 per 100,000 population. The total number of COVID cases to date stands at 31,991.

A person in their 60s from the south-central zone is the 419th fatality in the province due to COVID.

The 152 recoveries increased that total to date to 30,100. There are 1,472 active cases being reported in the province, with 755 of those in the Regina region.

The Regina area also leads all zones in hospitalizations, with 60 (45 inpatient care, 15 intensive care). There are 152 people in hospital in Saskatchewan (126 inpatient, 26 in ICU).

There were 3,209 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Monday, increasing the province’s total to date to 636,484.

“Today we are at a very challenging moment in this pandemic,” Premier Scott Moe said during the media conference. “Each day we are vaccinating literally thousands of Saskatchewan residents and this is bringing us closer to the day when things will be able to return to normal.

“At the very same time, the rise of the variant cases means that we have to continue to be extremely cautious, in particular here in Regina, but I would say extremely cautious in communities across the province — that is, until we are able to get a whole lot more people vaccinated.”

Vaccination update

The AstraZeneca drive-through clinic at Regina’s Evraz Place administered 1,873 doses Monday — its last day of operation. The clinic ran out of vaccine Monday evening.

Provincewide, there were 5,038 shots given Monday to increase the province’s total so far to 149,209.

The doses were given in the Regina (2,948), Saskatoon (626), southeast (620), central-west (313), central-east (218), southwest (158), far northwest (112), north-central (20), northwest (12) and far northeast (11) zones.

Shahab again encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as they’re eligible.

“That protects you, it protects others around you and it keeps the line moving,” he said.