Latest COVID update May 2: Active cases dip slightly, one death, 8,527 vaccines

Active COVID cases in Saskatchewan fell slightly Sunday.

In its daily update, the Ministry of Health reported 238 new cases, 253 recoveries and one new death. The active total now sits at 2,437.

The person who died from the virus was in their 60’s in the central-east zone. Since the pandemic hit, 495 people in the province have died with COVID.

The new cases are located in the Regina (59), Saskatoon (40), north-central (23), northwest (22), southeast (22), south-central (21), far northwest (19), central-west (eight), central-east (eight), southwest (five), northeast (four) and far northeast (one) regions. The location of six new cases is under investigation, while four previously reported cases were assigned to the north-central (two), Regina (one) and northwest (one) zones.

The seven-day average of daily new cases now sits at 236, or 19.3 cases per 100,000 people.

There are 167 people in hospital across the province. Of those, 39 are in the ICU in the Regina (21), Saskatoon (14), central-east (two), north-central (one) and south-central (one) areas.

Analysis continues to reveal COVID variant cases. Since the last update, 161 new variant cases have been reported.

So far, there have been 7,160 variants found in the Regina (3,837), Saskatoon (819), southeast (738), south-central (542), central-east (318), northwest (219), southwest (210), far northwest (141), north-central (131), central-west (86), northeast (24), and far northeast (three) areas. The location is still under investigation for 92 variant cases.

Since last March, there have been 41,599 total cases of the virus. In Sunday’s update, it was reported that one previously reported case was removed from the total, since it turned out to be someone who lives out of province. Two extra cases were assigned to the north-central total. There have been 38,667 recoveries.

There were 3,354 COVID tests processed Saturday, raising the total so far to 776,997.

Vaccination update

People continue to roll up their sleeves for a COVID vaccine in Saskatchewan.

In the latest update, the Ministry of Health reported that another 8,527 doses were administered, raising the total so far to 443,669.

First doses have gone out to 81 per cent of people who are older than 60, 63 percent of people who are 40 or older and 42 per cent of people 18 and older.

The new doses were given in the Regina (2,659), Saskatoon (1,804), southeast (834), northwest (714), north-central (592), south-central (491), central-west (141), northeast (111), far northwest (86), southwest (36), far northeast (22) and far north-central (8) regions. They’re still looking into the hometown of 311 people who got their shots.