11 new COVID-19 cases, 2 from outbreak in Saskatoon

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is reporting 11 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, five from Regina, two from Saskatoon, two from the South Central zone, and one each from the Central West and Central East areas.

Both of the Saskatoon cases are linked to the outbreak at Brandt Industries. “Initial public health investigations suggest this outbreak is linked to out-of-province travel,” the SHA said in a statement.

There are now 1,787 reported cases, 121 of which are considered active. A total of 1,642 people have recovered.

A total of 10 people are in hospital. Nine people are receiving inpatient care; seven of those are in Saskatoon, one is in Regina and one is in the South Central zone. One person is in intensive care in Saskatoon.

Investigations completed thus far have found that 25 of the 121 current active cases are from communal living settings.

COVID-19 graph. Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff

Of the 1,787 cases in the province to date:

• 265 cases are travellers;
• 880 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 522 have no known exposures; and
• 120 are under investigation by local public health

Overall in Saskatchewan to date:

• 69 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 296 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 584 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 549 are in the 40-59 age range; 298 are in the 60-79 age range; and 60 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
• 24 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
• There are:
  • 436 cases are from the south area (222 south west, 199 south central, 15 south east)
  • 357 cases are from the far north area (349 far north west, 0 far north central, 8 far north east)
  • 340 cases are from the Saskatoon area
  • 271 cases are from the north area (131 north west, 73 north central, 67 north east)
  • 234 cases are from the central area (172 central west, 62 central east)
  • 149 cases are from the Regina area

    Submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority

To date, 169,519 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan. As of September 17, 2020 when other provincial and national numbers are available from Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 119,145 people tested per million population. The national rate was 172,650 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, 2,873 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan. This is the highest daily number of tests performed to date. The previous highest was 2,129 tests performed on August 6.

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not. A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811, your physician or nurse practitioner. If you require urgent care, call 911.

Priority testing is available for those who are symptomatic, health care workers and first responders, teachers and school staff.

If you are asymptomatic and planning to travel but require a test, please allow a minimum of seven days from the date of your test through to notification of results. You can also view your results directly on MySaskHealthRecord.

Drive-through testing sites that do not require a referral are operating in Regina and Saskatoon. This is in addition to the testing and assessment centres currently open.

Regina – International Trade Centre at Evraz Place – Hall C, 1700 Elphinstone Street

Tuesdays and Thursdays – 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturdays – 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saskatoon – 3630 Thatcher Avenue

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – 12 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays – 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m

A valid Saskatchewan Health Card will be required for each person getting tested. A Canadian Armed Forces number or Interim Federal Health identification will also be accepted. You will be required to wear a mask during the registration process.

The drive-thru sites will be first come, first served so there may be some wait times. You must wait in your vehicle. There are no public washrooms available at these sites.

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow