Sask. reports 20th COVID-19 death; contact investigation started at Regina linen company

A 20th resident of Saskatchewan has died due to complications from COVID-19.

In a media release Friday, the provincial government said a person in their 60s who lived in the southwest region had died.

The government also reported 23 new cases, 19 of which were people residing in communal living settings.

There are 12 new cases in the south-central zone, three in the Saskatoon zone, three in the southwest region, two each in the Regina and central-east zones, and one in the northwest region.

A case reported July 20 has been deemed a false positive and has been removed from the province’s tally. As a result, the total number of cases in Saskatchewan to date is 1,409.

The government reported 57 more recoveries, increasing that total so far to 1,221. There are 168 cases that are considered active.

Nine people — four in the Saskatoon area, two in the southwest region, one in the east-central region, one in south-central zone and one in the Regina area — are receiving inpatient care in hospital. Three people are in intensive care in Saskatoon and one is in an ICU in the north-central region.

Meanwhile, the government reported a number of employees at K-Bro Linens’ Regina location had tested positive, prompting contact investigation by Public Health.

“Part of this investigation has included a microbiologist’s assessment of the processes for linen to ensure the linens remain safe for use in health-care facilities,” the government said in its release. “That review has determined there is no safety concern for processed linen.”

The province added the investigation has deemed there isn’t any risk to public health at this time.

Of the total number of cases in the province, 711 are community contacts (including mass gatherings), 378 don’t have any known exposures, 206 are travellers and 114 are being investigated by local public health officials.

The total includes 64 health-care workers who have contracted the virus.

There have been 352 cases from the far north area (346 far northwest, six far northeast), 318 in the south zone (153 southwest, 154 south-central, 11 southeast), 227 from the north region (99 northwest, 63 north-central, 65 northeast), 221 from the Saskatoon zone, 189 in the central area (159 central-west, 30 central-east) and 102 from the Regina area.

The total comprises 446 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 445 between the ages of 40 and 59, 243 who are aged 60 to 79, 226 involving people 19 and under, and 49 in the 80-and-over range.

There were 2,129 tests done Thursday — the highest single-day total yet in Saskatchewan. That increased the province’s total to 108,148.