Rent reduced for riders, early budget items approved by Regina Council
6h ago
Regina's city council covered a lot of ground in a three-hour meeting on Wednesday. With all members in attendance, coun...
Saskatchewan’s vaccination rollout hit a milestone Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Health, 80 per cent of Saskatchewan residents aged 60 and over have received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine. As well, 40 per cent of those aged 18 and over have been given their first shots.
The province said 7,334 shots were given in Saskatchewan in the latest reporting period, increasing the total so far to 415,763.
The ministry also reported 213 new cases of COVID, 143 new confirmed cases of variants of concern, and four deaths. There also were 284 recoveries.
Vaccination update
The latest shots were administered in the Saskatoon (2,206), Regina (1,278), northwest (829), north-central (736), central-east (595), northeast (373), south-central (330), southwest (230), southeast (137), central-west (110), far northwest (90), far northeast (39), and far north-central (three) zones.
There were 378 doses administered to people whose hometown is still being determined.
A look at the numbers
Three of the four deaths — a person in their 40s, one individual in their 50s and a person in their 70s — were recorded in the Saskatoon zone.
A person in their 70s from the Regina region also died due to the virus, increasing the provincial total to date to 486.
The new cases were recorded in the Regina (81), Saskatoon (47), southeast (31), far northwest (12), south-central (12), northwest (eight), central-east (eight), north-central (four), southwest (four) and northeast (three) zones. The hometowns of three cases are unknown.
There have been 40,614 COVID cases in the province since last March.
The seven-day average of new COVID cases is 245, or 20.0 per 100,000 population.
To date, 37,685 people have recovered. As of Wednesday, 2,443 cases are considered active.
There have been 6,444 variants of concern identified by screening in Saskatchewan so far, with 3,584 of those in the Regina area and 711 in the Saskatoon region.
Of the 184 people in Saskatchewan hospitals due to COVID, 42 are in intensive care. Those people are in the Regina (25), Saskatoon (11), north-central (two), central-east (two), northwest (one) and south-central (one) areas.
The 3,399 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Tuesday hiked the total so far to 762,565.
Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan updated
The Saskatchewan government announced some changes on Wednesday.
In-person graduations must be held outdoors and are restricted to a maximum of 45 participants. Virtual graduations can be held, but with no more than 30 graduates attending in person and all guests attending virtually.
The guidance for graduations for the month of June is to be re-evaluated on May 17.
Starting Thursday, all age groups in sporting activities can participate in training and conditioning for team and individual sports both indoors and out.
Groups of eight and a coach or two can participate in non-contact sports, with three metres of physical distancing and mask use required. However, the government said “competition remains prohibited for all ages in team sports.”
For outdoor seating at restaurants and licensed establishments, physical barriers are not required, but as patrons must be at least two metres apart.