Saskatchewan reports 1,407 new COVID cases, 37 more deaths

Another 37 Saskatchewan residents died of COVID-19 during the province’s latest reporting period.

The Ministry of Health issued its weekly epidemiological report Thursday, with data from the week starting Feb. 13 and ending Saturday.

The deaths reported comprised 26 people in the 80-and-over age group, seven individuals in the 70-to-79 age group, three people who were in their 60s, and one person between the ages of 20 and 39.

The fatalities included nine in the north-central zone, seven in each of the Regina and southeast regions, and six in the Saskatoon zone.

Over the past two reporting periods, 79 Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID. The province has announced 1,093 COVID-related fatalities since the start of the pandemic.

The update Thursday also said there were 1,407 new cases during the week in question. As of Wednesday — the point at which hospitalization data is collected — there were 372 COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, with 27 in intensive care.

The latest weekly statistics were released the same day the government confirmed it would extend its state of emergency starting Monday.

That’s the day the rest of the province’s health orders — including masking in indoor public spaces — are to be removed.

Premier Scott Moe signed the extension Wednesday, saying it’s only needed so the province and the Saskatchewan Health Authority will have the ability to move health-care providers around in the system.

Once that’s no longer needed, Moe plans to remove the state of emergency.

A look at the numbers

The total of new cases was significantly lower than the previous week, when 2,521 cases were reported.

The total announced Thursday included 295 cases in the Regina region and 237 in the Saskatoon area.

There were 9,142 laboratory tests performed in Saskatchewan during the week, down from 12,079 the week before. That’s a total of 7.6 tests performed per 1,000 people.

The weekly test positivity rate of 14.4 per cent was down from 20.2 the previous week.

The number of hospitalizations was down from its record high of 410 set the week before, while ICU admissions were down by six.

There are seven new outbreaks in care settings, with five in personal care homes and two in long-term care facilities. There had been 22 new outbreaks the week before.

As of Saturday, 85.5 per cent of Saskatchewan residents aged five and up had received at least one dose of a two-dose COVID vaccine and 80.1 per cent had got two shots.

Among those 18 years and over in the province, 50.4 per cent had received at least one booster vaccination.

The provincial government reminded residents that everyone 12 and over can get a booster dose, provided five months have passed since the second dose of their primary series.

Up to this week, health officials in the province had provided 50 prescriptions of the Paxlovid pill and had administered 205 monoclonal antibody infusion treatments.