Latest COVID update Jan. 31: Hospitalizations hit record high

Saskatchewan has reported its highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic started.

In its daily update Monday, the Ministry of Health said there were 363 people with COVID in the province’s health-care facilities. The previous single-day high was 356 on Oct. 6.

The total announced Monday comprised 321 inpatient cases and 42 intensive care admissions. The ICU total is still well below the provincial record of 85 set on Oct. 18.

The Saskatoon region had a record 179 people in hospital, with 158 inpatient infections and 21 people in intensive care.

The inpatient hospitalizations in the province included 118 people who went to hospital for treatment of a COVID-related illness, 165 incidental COVID infections and 38 cases that have yet to be determined.

There were 34 people with COVID-related issues in ICUs (including one in a pediatric or neonatal ICU) and eight people with incidental COVID infections.

The ministry also reported 736 new cases, the lowest total in a day since there were 537 announced on Jan. 5. As well, there were 1,258 recoveries and two deaths announced.

Both deaths were in the Saskatoon region. One person was between the ages of 60 and 79 and the other was in the 80-and-over age group.

To date, 992 Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID.

A look at the numbers

The new cases were in the Saskatoon (233), Regina (146), central-east (77), north-central (56), south-central (38), northwest (32), southeast (25), southwest (17), northeast (16), central-west (16), far northeast (seven), far northwest (three) and far north-central (three) zones.

The hometowns of 67 cases were pending.

Nearly half of the new cases in Saskatchewan — 352 — were fully vaccinated or more than two weeks removed from receiving their second dose. Another 247 were more than two weeks removed from getting their booster shot.

More than 39 per cent of the 370 tests done in the Regina zone and reported to public health returned a positive result. The percentage in the Saskatoon zone was 35.2.

There were 12 out-of-province positive tests added to Saskatchewan’s case total, which rose to 118,606. To date, 105,406 cases are considered recovered.

The active case count fell by 512 to 12,208.

The seven-day average of new cases was 1,162, or 96.4 new cases per 100,000 people.

There were 1,431 first and second doses of COVID vaccine administered in the province, increasing Saskatchewan’s total number of vaccinations done so far to 1,859,424.