Latest COVID update Oct. 27: 223 new cases, 271 in hospital, 5 deaths

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Saskatchewan dropped to their lowest level in more than a month Wednesday.

The Ministry of Health reported 271 COVID patients were in Saskatchewan hospitals, the fewest since there were 265 on Sept. 22.

The number of cases in intensive care units dropped by 12 from Tuesday’s report to 57, the fewest since there were 54 on Sept. 22.

Four more ICU patients were transferred from Saskatchewan to Ontario, hiking the total to date to 16.

The ministry also reported 223 new cases of COVID, along with 316 recoveries and five deaths.

Active cases fell to 2,440.

A look at the numbers

The latest infections were reported in the Saskatoon (54), Regina (35), southeast (24), central-east (23), northwest (18), north-central (18), far northwest (15), far northeast (nine), south-central (five), northeast (three), southwest (three) and central-west (one) zones.

The hometowns of 15 new cases are pending.

The total included 164 people who weren’t vaccinated, with 62 of those under the age of 11. That group currently isn’t eligible to receive the COVID vaccine.

There also were 50 cases among people who were fully vaccinated and nine individuals who were partially vaccinated.

The new cases were detected in 2,608 tests, for a test positivity rate of 8.6.

To date, there have been 76,830 cases and 73,558 recoveries reported .

The latest deaths included four people between the ages of 60 and 79 and one person in the 40-to-59 age group. Two of the people lived in the northwest zone, while there was one person from each of the Saskatoon, central-east and southwest zones.

To date, 832 Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID.

There were 2,985 doses of COVID vaccine administered, including 2,033 second doses and 952 first shots.

So far, 785,377 people in the province have received two shots and are considered fully vaccinated. There have been more than 1.65 million shots given in the province.