Four COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Saskatchewan on Friday, bringing the province’s total up to 491 since the pandemic began.
Three of the recently deceased were in their 40s, 60s and 70s from the Regina, far north east zone and south central zones, while the residence of another in their 60s is still pending, according to a press release.
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Health officials said on Friday there were 264 new cases, with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 41,098. Regina leads the province with 79 new infections.
The seven-day average of new daily infections is up to 241 from 239 on Thursday.
According to the provincial government, 222 new variants of concern (VOC) cases have been identified in Saskatchewan while the total (6,794) is reported as follows: far north west (121), far north east (3), north west (203), north central (111), north east (20), Saskatoon (765), central west (81), central east (296), Regina (3,717), south west (184), south central (510) and south east (700) zones. The residences of 83 VOC cases are pending.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 173 patients with COVID-19 — 136 are receiving inpatient care and 37 are in intensive care.
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Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 2,426 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to 38,181 following 252 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,916 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday. To date, 769,787 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 427,739 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage, visit the Global News coronavirus web page.
