Latest COVID update Oct. 6: ICU, hospitalization records broken again

For the fourth straight day, Saskatchewan has set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

In Wednesday’s update, the Ministry of Health said there were 356 COVID patients in Saskatchewan health-care facilities. That number had risen from 306 on Saturday to 321 on Sunday to 325 on Monday and to 340 on Tuesday.

The total Wednesday included a record 76 cases in intensive care, including 35 in Saskatoon and 21 in Regina. The previous record of 75 ICU admissions was set Monday.

The 119 COVID patients in Saskatoon hospitals is an all-time record for the pandemic. Regina’s total of 88 hospitalizations is the highest in the region since April 21, when there were 90 COVID patients in area hospitals.

According to the government, 273 of the total number of COVID patients — or 76.7 per cent — weren’t totally vaccinated.

The government also reported 478 new cases, 543 recoveries and seven deaths.

The province has announced at least one death due to COVID in 32 straight days, with 123 people dying due to the virus in that span.

The latest fatalities included three people between the ages of 60 and 79, two people aged 20 to 39 and one person in the 40-to-59 and 80-and-over age groups.

To date, 733 Saskatchewan residents have died as a result of COVID.

A look at the numbers

The latest new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (153), northwest (88), Regina (50), far northeast (29), north-central (28), far northwest (25), southeast (21), central-east (16), northeast (10), southwest (nine), south-central (five), central-west (five) and far north-central (one) zones. The hometowns of 38 cases are still being determined.

The total included 99 children under the age of 11 who currently aren’t eligible to get vaccinated.

There also were 60 people in their 20s, 53 individuals in their 30s, and 52 kids aged 12 to 19 among the 362 new cases that weren’t vaccinated.

The cases announced Wednesday also included 89 people who were considered fully vaccinated and 27 who were partially vaccinated.

A little under a third of the cases — 31.6 per cent — were between the ages of 20 and 39.

To date, there have been 69,809 COVID cases reported in Saskatchewan along with 64,763 recoveries. The active caseload stands at 4,313, with 1,093 in the Saskatoon area, 618 in the Regina region and 557 in the northwest zone.

There were 4,223 doses of COVID vaccine delivered in the province, including 2,442 first doses and 1,781 second shots.

To date, more than 1.58 million shots have been given, and 744,992 people are considered fully vaccinated with two doses.