Latest COVID update Jan. 18: Hospitalizations climb to two-month high

The number of people with COVID-19 in Saskatchewan’s hospitals has risen by 80 per cent over the past month.

According to the Ministry of Health, there were 189 people with COVID in health-care facilities in the province Tuesday — 22 more than was reported in Monday’s update. There were 105 hospitalizations on Dec. 19, and 79 on Dec. 31.

The number of hospital patients with COVID in the province hasn’t been as high as Tuesday’s total since Nov. 9, when it was 193.

The inpatient hospitalizations reported Tuesday included 95 COVID patients and 63 people who tested positive in hospital after being admitted for another reason. There also were 13 people whose infection status was still being determined.

There were 18 people in intensive care units — nine for COVID-related illnesses, six for incidental COVID infections, two whose initial infection was undetermined and one who was an incidental COVID infection in a pediatric ICU.

In the past week, COVID hospitalizations in the Saskatoon zone have risen from 57 (52 inpatient, five ICU) to 86 (74 inpatient, 12 ICU). The number of COVID patients in the Regina region has increased from 32 (30 inpatient, two ICU) to 46 (44 inpatient, two ICU).

The ministry also said Tuesday that 1,089 new cases had been reported by public health, along with 965 recoveries.

There weren’t any COVID-related deaths reported for a 12th straight day. To date, 961 Saskatchewan residents have died as a result of COVID.

A look at the numbers

The new cases reported Tuesday were in the Saskatoon (433), Regina (187), north-central (56), southeast (50), central-east (49), northwest (45), southwest (33), far northeast (28), central-west (26), far northwest (19), south-central (15), northeast (nine) and far north-central (one) zones.

The hometowns of 138 cases were pending.

The cases in Saskatoon were detected among 1,073 tests done by health-care officials, meaning 40.4 per cent of those tests returned a positive result. The rate in Regina was 35.1, with the province’s rate at 29.7.

There were 15 cases who tested positive outside of the province added to Saskatchewan’s total, which stood at 102,641.

The seven-day average of new COVID cases in Saskatchewan rose to 1,219, or 101.2 per 100,000 people.

The active case count increased to 11,781. To date, 89,899 cases are considered recovered.

Vaccination update

There were 946 doses of COVID vaccine administered, comprising 287 first shots and 659 second doses.

To date, 1,834,160 first and second doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the province. Eighty-five per cent of people five years of age and over have received their first shot and 78 per cent of those five and over have got two shots.

As well, 44 per cent of eligible residents aged 18 and over now have received their booster shots. To date, 405,845 third shots have been administered and 11,262 people have got a fourth dose.