Latest COVID update May 28: Hospitalizations fall to six-month low

The number of COVID-19 patients in Saskatchewan hospitals has dropped to its lowest level since late November.

In its daily update Friday, the Ministry of Health said there were 113 people with COVID in Saskatchewan hospitals. That’s the lowest that number has been since it was 106 on Nov. 28.

The province also reported 122 new COVID cases, 131 recoveries and two deaths. As well, 5,127 second doses were given, setting a new single-day high for the province.

A look at the numbers

There are 87 people with COVID receiving inpatient care in the province’s hospitals and 26 people in intensive care. Those latter patients are in the Regina (nine), Saskatoon (eight), north-central (five), northwest (two), central-east (one) and southwest (one) zones.

The latest deaths due to COVID in the province were a person in their 70s from the Saskatoon area and an individual in the 80-and-over group from the northwest. To date, 536 Saskatchewan residents have died due to the virus.

The latest new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (38), Regina (21), central-east (16), north-central (12), south-central (11), northwest (six), southeast (five), far northwest (four), northeast (two), far north-central (one) and southwest (one) zones.

The hometowns of five cases are being determined.

Since last March, Saskatchewan has recorded 46,285 cases.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is 129, or 10.6 per 100,000 population. The last time that figure was that low was March 19, when it was 10.5 cases per 100,000 people.

There were 32 new cases of COVID variants of concern identified by screening in the province, hiking that total so far to 10,399.

Of the 5,713 variant cases with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing, 5,529 are the U.K. variant, 144 are the Brazilian mutation, 30 are the Indian variant and 10 are the South African strain.

The latest recoveries increase the total to date to 44,378. The active caseload stands at 1,371.

The 2,726 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Thursday increased the province’s total to date to 854,364.

Vaccination update

There were 14,351 COVID vaccines delivered in Saskatchewan in the latest reporting period, including the daily record number of second doses.

To date, 67,723 Saskatchewan residents have received both doses.

The latest shots were given to people in the Saskatoon (4,648), Regina (3,553), central-east (1,359), southeast (782), north-central (772), northwest (627), northeast (581), central-west (537), south-central (474), southwest (354), far northwest (256), far northeast (130) and far north-central (two) zones.

There were 276 recipients whose hometowns are still pending.