As of April 3, Saskatchewan has 14 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 220. Currently, there are three people in hospital in the province. Two people are receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon, while one person is in the intensive care unit in Regina.
Twelve more people have recovered from COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, bringing the provincial total to 48.
Of the 220 cases in the province:
• 102 cases are travellers.
• 52 are community contacts (mass gatherings included).
• 10 have no known exposures.
• 56 are under investigation by local public health.
• Due to an administrative adjustment, four confirmed positives have been added to the provincial total that were tested in out-of-province laboratories over the past couple of weeks. Including these positive tests is a routine part of surveillance case counting processes.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
• One hundred and eleven of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 45 from the Regina area, 42 from the north, 10 from the south, nine from the central region and three from the far north.
• Six cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• One hundred cases are in the 20-44 age range; 79 are in the 45-64 age range; and 35 are in the 65-plus range.
• 55 per cent of the cases are males and 45 per cent are females.
• Three deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 12,112 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Saskatchewan continues to have the second highest rate of testing per capita among the provinces.
Please note in the online testing information on www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19, the column with the number of patients with tests pending has been removed. All testing is now completed and confirmed in Saskatchewan instead of being sent out of province.
Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of confirmed/presumptive cases is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
Public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.
Assisted Living Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19
An employee at an Eden Care assisted living facility in Regina has tested positive for COVID-19. There are no indications it has spread to other employees or residents. The facility is closed to admissions, discharges and transfers, and residents who have been in close contact with the employee will be isolated and monitored twice daily for 14 days.
The facility, with support from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, is taking action, including visitor restrictions, to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.
Staff Assessments at Long-Term Care Facilities
Effective today, all employees working at long-term care facilities in Saskatchewan will have their temperatures checked and will be monitored for COVID-19 symptoms prior to beginning their shifts.
Regulatory Measures in Place to License Additional Professionals
Retired employees now have an easier and quicker way to help provide urgent patient care. The Ministry of Health has been working with professional health bodies to put measures in place to provide temporary licenses for retired, non-practising and student members. The Government of Saskatchewan is covering the fees for these professionals, which can cost several hundred dollars per member per year depending on the regulatory body.