More than 17,000 new doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan.
The additional 17,420 vaccinations bring the total number of vaccines given in the province to date to 1,153,720.
The latest shots comprised 15,664 second doses and 1,776 first shots. To date, 429,532 people have received both doses and are considered fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, 31 new cases of the virus were reported alongside 60 recoveries.
The Ministry of Health also reported it would not be producing an update Thursday, which is Canada Day, and no longer will be producing them on weekends either. However, its dashboard will be updated.
A look at the numbers
The latest cases increase the province’s total to date to 48,854.
No new deaths were reported.
The latest cases are located in the following zones: Far northwest (three), far northeast (one), northwest (six), north-central (two), northeast (one), Saskatoon (11), central-east (one), Regina (two) and southeast (two).
Three cases are pending residence information.
Currently, 435 cases are considered active in the province and recoveries total 47,851.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is 45.
On Tuesday, 1,506 COVID-19 tests were processed in the province, bringing the total number of tests processed in Saskatchewan to date to 916,620.
There are 69 people in hospital in the province — the lowest total since there were 68 on Nov. 16.
The total includes 55 people receiving inpatient care: Northwest (four), north-central (10), Saskatoon (23), central-west (one), central-east (one), Regina (15), and south-central (one).
Fourteen people remain in intensive care, with Saskatoon having the highest number of patients (six) and Regina with half that amount. The northwest zone has two ICU patients and north-central has two.
In a news release, the province said declining hospital rates are a significant indication that vaccination efforts are positively impacting Saskatchewan and its residents.
Saskatchewan has recorded 12,149 variants of concern.
Vaccination update
The new shots were administered to residents across the province: Far northwest (217), far north-central (two), far northeast (95), northwest (629), north-central (1,113), northeast (650), Saskatoon (4,910), central-west (309), central-east (1,468), Regina (4,411), southwest (639), south-central (1,157), and southeast (1,349).
Of the administered doses, 471 were listed as zone of residence pending.
Eighty-one per cent of those over the age of 40 and 76 per cent of those over 30 have received their first vaccination in the province. Seventy-one per cent of those over the age of 18 and 70 per cent of those over the age of 12 have also received their first dose.
After more than a week of struggling to attain that latter percentage, Saskatchewan finally has got there. To date, 724,097 people aged 12 and up have received a first shot, surpassing the mark of 723,167 that would represent 70 per cent of those 12 and over.