An additional 6,941 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 162,695.

The 6,941 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far Northwest (231), Far Northeast (43), Northwest (385), North Central (48), Northeast (481), Saskatoon (1,925), Central West (34), Central East (1,994), Regina (1,217) and South Central (583).

The appointment booking system is currently available to residents 62 years and older. These residents are encouraged to book their COVID-19 vaccinations and can do so online or by phone. Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

More than a third of Saskatchewan residents in their 70s have now received their first dose.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 213 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan March 26, bringing the provincial total to 32,559 cases.

Eight Saskatchewan residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died. One death was reported in the Northwest zone in the 50-59 (1) age group. Seven deaths were reported in the Regina zone in the 50-59 (1), 60-69 (3) and 80-plus (3) age groups.

The new cases are located in the Far Northwest (4), Far Northeast (5), Northwest (10), North Central (9), Northeast (8), Saskatoon (34), Central West (1), Central East (3), Regina (104), South Central (14) and Southeast (13) zones. Eight (8) new cases are pending residence information. Six cases with pending residence have been assigned to the following zones: Northwest (3), North Central (1) and Regina (2). Twelve cases previously assigned to the North Central zone have been found to be from the Far Northeast zone and have been reassigned.

There are a total of 30,449 recoveries and 1,680 cases are considered active.

One hundred fifty-five (155) people are in hospital. One hundred thirty-one (131) people are receiving inpatient care: Far Northwest (1), Far Northeast (1), Northwest (6), North Central (6), Northeast (1), Saskatoon (37), Central East (9), Regina (54), Southwest (2), South Central (4) and Southeast (10). Twenty-four (24) people are in intensive care: Saskatoon (5), Central East (2), Regina (16) and South Central (1).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 186 (15.2 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available on the Government of Saskatchewan website. Visit https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 4,623 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan March 25. To date, this is the highest one-day total for COVID-19 tests in the province.

To date, 648,252 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 24, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 542,423 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 709,841 tests performed per million population.

As of March 25, 1,155 variants of concern (VOC) have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far Northeast (1), Saskatoon (18), Central East (24), Regina (973), South Central (70) and Southeast (69) zones. These have previously been reported as “presumptive positives” but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations.

There are no new lineage results reported today. Of the 473 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 465 are B1.1.1.7 (UK) and eight are B1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 400 (or 86 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan. Please note these VOC may have been initially identified via means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening) and that whole genome sequencing results to identify lineage are included in the screening results.

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns, depending on testing for that case. Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases. Further statistics on the total number of cases among healthcare workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, the per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website. Visit http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Reminder – Additional Regina Region Public Health Measures Effective Sunday
In addition to the restriction on household gatherings and the travel advisory for Regina and area, the Ministry of Health notes that effective 12:01 am, Sunday March 28:

All restaurants and licensed establishments must close for in-person dining. Take-out and delivery is permitted. Video lottery terminals (VLTs) will also be closed in these locations.

The following venues are closed: banquet and conference facilities, community halls, galleries, museums, libraries, live and movie theatres, performing arts facilities, bowling alleys, car shows, racing and rodeo facilities, arcades, trade shows, science centres and auctions (livestock sales are permitted).

This public health order amendment and recommendations apply to the city of Regina and area including: Belle Plaine, Pense, Grand Coulee, Lumsden Beach, Regina Beach, Craven, Lumsden, Edenwold, Pilot Butte, White City, Balgonie, Kronau, Davin, Gray, Riceton, RM of Lajord, RM of Edenwold, RM of Sherwood, RM of Pense and the RM of Lumsden.

Full details on the current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

Enforcing Public Health Measures
Enforcement of public health orders is permitted under The Public Health Act, 1994. Public health inspectors will be supported in their efforts to ticket violators quickly to ensure businesses and events are brought into compliance as quickly as possible, in addition to the enforcement efforts that have been undertaken by police agencies throughout the province.

On March 25, the Shorebird Inn at Tobin Lake was fined $14,000 for failure to abide by public health orders.

For more information on the current public health measures or to see the Public Health Order, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

General COVID-19 Information
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Know your risk. Keep yourself and others safe. www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.