Latest COVID update Sept. 21: 372 new cases, 5 deaths

Saskatchewan reported 372 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the first time in 10 days that number has been under 400.

The new cases were detected in 3,741 tests, the lowest total since Sept. 13.

The Ministry of Health also announced 336 recoveries and five deaths. The active caseload rose to 4,700, marking the third-highest total in Saskatchewan since the pandemic started.

Two of the five deaths reported were in the 80-and-over age group, two were in the 60-to-79 age range and one was in the 20-to-39 group.

Two of the deaths were recorded in the southwest region, with one in each of the far northwest, north-central and central-east areas of the province.

To date, 646 Saskatchewan residents have died due to the virus, including 19 in the past seven days.

The number of COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals climbed to a record high of 262, with 54 in intensive care. Of the total hospitalizations, 193 people weren’t fully vaccinated.

There are 114 people with COVID in health-care facilities in the Saskatoon region, including 24 in ICUs. There are four children under 11 in the province’s hospital, but none in ICUs.

The seven-day average of new COVID cases dropped to 474, a decrease of 20 from Monday’s report.

A look at the numbers

The new infections reported Tuesday were in the Saskatoon (50), Regina (49), north-central (46), northwest (42), far northeast (41), southeast (18), central-east (17), southwest (14), south-central (14), central-west (13), northeast (11), far northwest (nine) and far north-central (three) zones.

The hometowns of 45 cases are still to be determined.

Of Tuesday’s total, 299 were unvaccinated people. That included 75 children aged 11 and under (who aren’t eligible to be vaccinated), 58 people in their 30s, 36 youths aged 12 to 19, 33 people in their 40s and 30 people aged 20 to 29.

There also were 58 cases among people who were fully vaccinated and 15 among those who had one dose or were within two weeks of getting their second shot.

Saskatchewan’s total number of cases to date stands at 62,989. Recoveries total 57,643.

Vaccination update

There were 840 doses administered, with 420 first doses and 420 second doses. It’s the lowest single-day total in a week.

To date, 1,523,549 shots have been given in Saskatchewan and 719,392 people are fully vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, 79 per cent of those 12 and over have received one dose and 71 per cent are fully vaccinated.

According to the ministry, the Saskatchewan Health Authority plans to add more vaccination clinics to deal with increased demand for vaccination — even though Tuesday’s total was down from the previous day.

Details on the clinics’ locations and times are to be available here.

Every person who will be 12 as of Dec. 31 and everyone who is older than that is eligible for vaccination.