As of April 23, Saskatchewan has five new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 331. The total number of cases includes one presumptive positive case.
Fifty-seven of the 331 cases are considered active. Nine more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 270 recoveries.
There are currently six people in hospitals across the province. Five people are receiving inpatient care, while one person is in intensive care.
Of the 331 cases in the province:
• 136 cases are travellers;
• 142 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings;
• 33 have no known exposures; and
• 20 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 36 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 150 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 71 from the Regina area, 62 from the North, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 22 from the far north.
• 26 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 117 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 113 are in the 40-59 age range; 65 are in the 60-79 age range; and 10 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are males and 49 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
Also today, Premier Scott Moe and Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, announced the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.
Re-Open Saskatchewan is a plan built on a methodical and phased approach to slowly lifting restrictions so that more businesses can open and more employees can go back to work. The plan introduces five phases to methodically, gradually and cautiously re-open businesses and services across Saskatchewan, beginning May 4. The plan also details physical distancing measures and restrictions that will remain in place throughout the five phases and provides a number of factors to inform decisions regarding the lifting of long-term restrictions.
“Over the next several weeks, restrictions will be gradually lifted by adding more types of businesses to the allowable businesses list, meaning that they can re-open if they so choose,” Moe said. “All businesses and public venues will be required to continue following physical distancing and cleaning and disinfection practices to protect both employees and customers. Members of the public will be expected to follow physical distancing rules and to stay home if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.”
To date, 25,872 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Per capita, Saskatchewan’s testing rate of 21,895 tests per million population exceeds the national rate of 16,155 tests per million population.
Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of confirmed cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment tool at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-self-assessment.
Public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.