Latest COVID update Nov. 19: 89 new cases push total over 80K

Saskatchewan added 89 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, pushing its total during the pandemic past the 80,000 mark.

Since March of 2020, 80,025 cases have been reported in the province.

Over the past seven days, Saskatchewan has recorded a rate of cases of 64 per 100,000 people — second among Canadian provinces to Manitoba’s rate of 72.

There also were 83 recoveries and three deaths reported Friday.

Two of the latest fatalities were in the 60-to-79 age group and one was in the 80-and-over age group. There was one death reported in each of the Regina, south-central and southeast regions.

To date, 908 Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID.

The number of hospitalizations dropped by four, to 157. That includes 39 cases in intensive care.

One ICU patient who was being treated in Ontario has returned to Saskatchewan, leaving 10 people from this province out east.

A look at the numbers

The new cases reported Friday were in the Saskatoon (27), central-east (26), Regina (10), southeast (six), northwest (four), central-west (four), north-central (three), southwest (two), south-central (two), far northwest (one) and northeast (one) zones. The hometowns of three cases are still being determined.

There were 1,644 tests done in the province, creating a test positivity rate of 5.4.

The seven-day average of new cases dropped below 100, to 97. It’s the first time the average has been under 100 since it was 99 on Aug. 14.

According to the Ministry of Health, 45 per cent of the new cases who were eligible to get vaccinated had received both shots.

The number of active cases rose by two to 1,102. To date, there have been 78,015 recoveries in the province.

There were 2,032 vaccinations done in the province, with 518 first shots and 1,514 second shots.

So far, 824,268 Saskatchewan residents have received two doses. Overall, more than 1.7 million shots have been done in the province.