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The Regina region has set a new single-day high for hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
According to Thursday’s update from the Ministry of Health, there were 68 people in hospital in the area — 56 receiving inpatient care and 12 in intensive care. The previous single-day high for hospital cases in the region was 67, set Feb. 8.
There were 154 people in hospital around the province Thursday, including 22 in intensive care units.
The Regina region again posted the highest number of new cases, with 70 of the 168 cases reported.
The zone has announced 1,579 new cases in March, far and away the highest total among the zones this month. It also is reporting 862 of the province’s 1,623 active cases.
The other new cases were recorded in the Saskatoon (25), southeast (24), central-east (19), south-central (11), far northeast (three), northwest (three), central-west (three), far northwest (two), north-central (two) and northeast (one) zones.
The hometowns of five cases are still being determined.
The seven-day average of daily new cases rose to 181, or 14.7 per 100,000 population.
As of Wednesday, 1,064 variants of concern had been identified by screening in Saskatchewan.
Of that total, 895 were in the Regina area, 66 were in the southeast zone, 63 were in the south-central area, 20 were in the central-east region, 18 were in the Saskatoon area, and one was in each of the far northeast and north-central areas.
Of the 478 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 470 are the United Kingdom variant and eight are the South African strain. The Regina zone accounts for 400 of those cases.
Two people — someone in their 40s from the north-central zone and an individual in their 70s from the central-east region — have died due to COVID. To date, 422 Saskatchewan residents have died after testing positive.
There were 105 recoveries reported Thursday, increasing that total to date to 30,301.
The 3,370 COVID tests processed in Saskatchewan on Wednesday moved the province’s total to date to 643,629.
Measures in the Regina region
The provincial government reminded residents that due to the increased risk of transmission in the Regina area, indoor gatherings are limited to members of the same household, restaurants and bars will close as of Sunday at 12:01 a.m., and travel into and out of the area is not recommended.
However, the Saskatchewan Health Authority noted medical appointments and compassionate visitation for people in hospital or long-term care homes does constitute essential travel and isn’t covered in the public health measures for the region.
Vaccination update
There were 4,247 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Saskatchewan on Wednesday, hiking the provincial total so far to 155,754.
The latest doses were given in the Regina (1,418), Saskatoon (1,289), northeast (633), central-west (340), southeast (182), far northwest (170), south-central (157), central-east (40) and north-central (18) regions.