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Saskatchewan reached a grim milestone Tuesday, when the province’s 400th fatality due to COVID-19 was reported.
According to the provincial government, a person in their 50s from the northwest zone died due to the virus.
The province also reported 113 new cases and 160 recoveries. As well, the government said an initial survey of 190 cases done by the Roy Romanow Provincial Lab (RRPL) found 35 more cases of variants of concern — including 28 in the Regina zone.
That increased the total number of cases of variants in the province to date to 44. That comprises 38 cases of the United Kingdom variant (36 in the Regina zone, one in each of the Saskatoon and northwest regions) and six cases of the South African variant (five in the north-central area, one in the south-central zone).
The province said the RRPL did the screenings on positive cases that were reported from Jan. 26 to Feb. 27.
“The confirmation of 44 variant of concern cases present over the span of two months is an indication that variants of concern, particularly B.1.1.7 initially detected in the UK, are present in Saskatchewan and community transmission has been occurring over the last two months,” the government said in its release.
“This also indicates that while variant transmission has been occurring over the last two months, Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 data, including active cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths, have continued to decline.”
A look at the numbers
The 113 new COVID cases increased the province’s total to date to 29,918. One case that previously was counted in Saskatchewan’s total was removed because it was a person from outside the province.
The new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (37), Regina (30), far northeast (nine), northwest (nine), far northwest (four), north-central (four), central-east (four), southwest (three), southeast (three), northeast (one) and south-central (one) zones.
The hometowns of eight cases are still being determined.
Regina, which has been a hotspot in recent weeks, reported its new cases on just 327 tests — a test positivity rate of 9.2 per cent. Saskatoon’s test positivity rate was 6.8 per cent.
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 141, or 11.5 per 100,000 population.
There have been 28,104 recoveries reported to date. The active caseload dropped to 1,414.
Even so, Saskatchewan had the highest active case rate in Canada on Monday, at 124. Alberta was next at 105.
Of the 139 people in Saskatchewan hospitals, 25 are in intensive care. There are 11 ICU patients in the Saskatoon area, 10 in the Regina region, and two in each of the central-east and north-central zones.
The 1,874 tests done in Saskatchewan on Monday increased the province’s total to date to 597,743.
Vaccination update
There were 736 COVID vaccinations done Monday, increasing the province’s total to date to 93,512.
The latest shots were administered in the northwest (479), north-central (165) and Saskatoon (92) zones.
Saskatchewan’s first shipment of 15,500 AstraZeneca doses arrived in the province Tuesday. The government said vaccinations are expected to begin soon at a drive-through location in Regina for those who are eligible, including individuals between the ages of 60 and 64 and priority health-care workers.
As well, shipments of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive in the Saskatoon (3,510 doses) and Regina (3,510 doses) areas on Tuesday. The North Battleford (4,680 doses), Yorkton (1,170 doses) and Prince Albert (1,170 doses) regions are slated to get their shipments Wednesday.