The number of active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan has more than doubled in less than a month.
On Monday — when 300 new cases were reported by the provincial government — the active caseload stood at 2,549. On March 17, that number was 1,264.
The number of active cases is at its highest point since Jan. 26, when it stood at 2,665.
The new cases reported Monday were in the Regina (96), Saskatoon (72), central-east (22), southeast (22), south-central (17), northwest (17), central-west (15), southwest (10), north-central (nine), far northwest (four), far northeast (three) and northeast (one) zones.
The hometowns of 12 cases are still being determined.
To date, there have been 36,604 COVID cases in the province.
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 261, or 21.3 per 100,000 population.
The Ministry of Health also reported one new death — a person in their 60s from the Regina zone — due to COVID. To date, 455 Saskatchewan residents have died due to the virus.
There were 214 new cases of COVID variants of concern identified by screening, increasing the total so far to 3,485.
Those cases are being reported in the Regina (2,423), southeast (348), south-central (309), Saskatoon (181), central-east (94), north-central (39), southwest (33), northwest (13), central-west (13), far northwest (seven), northeast (three) and far northeast (one) zones. There are 21 cases with residence pending.
Of the 1,435 variant cases with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing, 1,131 are in the Regina region.
There were 253 recoveries reported Monday, increasing that total so far to 33,600, as well as 3,093 tests.
Of the 198 people in Saskatchewan hospitals due to the virus, 41 are in intensive care. That number includes 26 people in Regina, five in Saskatoon, three in each of the north-central, south-central and central-east zones and one in the southwest area.
Vaccination update
Another 8,856 COVID vaccinations were reported Monday, increasing the total in the province to date to 290,921.
The latest shots were given in the Regina (2,881), Saskatoon (1,752), southeast (1,040), central-east (896), south-central (542), southwest (461), central-west (343), north-central (332), northwest (274), northeast (62), far northeast (48) and far northwest (six) zones.
The hometowns of 219 people who were immunized is unknown.