Latest COVID update Nov. 8: Sask. doctor who was transferred to Ontario dies

A Saskatchewan doctor has died of COVID-19 in Ontario.

Dr. Youssef Al-Begamy’s death was confirmed by a friend and fellow doctor. Al-Begamy had worked in Regina and Fort Qu’Appelle during his career.

So far, three Saskatchewan ICU patients have died in Ontario after being transferred to that province to receive care.

The Government of Saskatchewan announced in Sunday’s COVID update that two patients had died in Ontario. The death of another Saskatchewan patient in the eastern province was announced Friday.

Saskatchewan transferred 28 patients to Ontario to ease the strain on this province’s health-care system due to COVID.

In Monday’s update, the Government of Saskatchewan announced there were 100 new cases — the fewest in a day since there were 85 on Aug. 16 — along with 237 recoveries and one death.

The latest fatality was a person in the 80-and-over age group from the central-east region.

To date, 873 people have died of COVID in Saskatchewan.

The number of active cases fell to 1,527, the lowest it has been since it was 1,478 on Aug. 21.

A look at the numbers

The new cases were reported in the Regina (20), central-east (19), south-central (14), Saskatoon (12), southeast (nine), northwest (nine), north-central (seven), southwest (four), far northeast (two), far northwest (one), central-west (one) and northeast (one) zones.

The hometown of one case was still being determined.

There were 1,297 tests done in the province, resulting in a test positivity rate of 7.7.

Of the new cases, 62 were unvaccinated people, including 29 children under the age of 11. That group isn’t eligible yet to be vaccinated.

There also were 32 cases among fully vaccinated people and six among partially vaccinated individuals.

The seven-day average of new cases fell to 149, or 12.3 per 100,000.

To date, there have been 78,824 cases in Saskatchewan and 76,424 recoveries.

There were 191 COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, with 51 of those in intensive care. There also were 18 Saskatchewan residents in Ontario ICUs.

Vaccination update

The 1,732 doses of COVID vaccine that were given included 488 first shots and 1,244 second doses.

To date, 810,673 people have received two doses and are considered fully vaccinated. According to the provincial government, that represents 80 per cent of Saskatchewan residents who are eligible to receive the vaccine.

More than 1.68 million doses have been administered in the province to date.