The number of COVID-19 patients in Saskatchewan hospitals dipped below 100 for the first time in nearly four months Tuesday.
In its daily update, the Ministry of Health said there were 98 people with COVID in the province’s health-care facilities. The last time that number was under 100 was Aug. 27, when it stood at 97.
The total Tuesday included 31 intensive care cases, down one from the day before.
The ministry also reported 67 new cases, 75 recoveries and one death.
A person in the 60-to-79 age group from the central-east region became the 943rd Saskatchewan resident to die due to COVID.
Another 17 Omicron cases were reported, increasing that number to date to 82. According to the ministry, none of those people are in hospital.
However, modelling data issued by the government on Tuesday showed the variant could put pressure on the province’s health-care system if it’s unchecked.
A look at the numbers
The new cases reported Tuesday were in the Saskatoon (29), Regina (13), central-east (five), central-west (four), southeast (four), northwest (two), northeast (two) and southwest (one) zones. The hometowns of seven cases are pending.
The total included 35 people who were considered fully vaccinated, 30 individuals who were unvaccinated and two people who were partially vaccinated.
The unvaccinated group included 11 children under the age of 12.
The seven-day average of new cases rose to 62, or 5.1 per 100,000 people.
To date, there have been 82,334 cases reported in Saskatchewan and 80,835 recoveries. The active case count dropped by nine, to 556.
Vaccination update
There were 770 doses of COVID vaccines administered in the province, including 341 first shots and 429 second shots.
So far in Saskatchewan, more than two million shots have been given in the province — 937,331 first shots, 850,038 second shots, 223,905 third doses and 3,863 fourth shots.
As of Dec. 14, 88 per cent of Saskatchewan residents 12 years and older and 83 per cent of people five and up had received their first dose. Eighty-three per cent of those 12 and older and 75 per cent of people five years and older had received two doses.
As for other treatments, 26 monoclonal antibody infusions have been done in the province since Oct. 25.