An additional 7,333 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 372,334.

The 7,333 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far Northwest (240), Far North Central (43), Far Northeast (281), Northwest (248), North Central (823), Northeast (776), Saskatoon (1,222), Central West (534), Central East (496), Regina (962), Southwest (328), South Central (350) and Southeast (772). There were 258 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

More than 300,000 people, or fifty-three per cent, of Saskatchewan residents age 40+ have received their first dose.

As of April 22, Phase One priority vaccinations will be considered complete, as the province continues with Phase Two vaccination roll out. The separate reporting of Phase One health care worker category will cease and this population will be reported on in the general age categories. Anyone identified as eligible for Phase One vaccination who did not yet receive a vaccine, can still make an appointment to be vaccinated. Once you are eligible you remain eligible.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found on the dashboard at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness. As the source database for vaccine information, Panorama is subject to continuous data updates which may result in revised counts, day over day.

All of this week’s scheduled Pfizer shipment has arrived in Saskatchewan and is being distributed in the Saskatoon (12,870 doses), Regina (10,530 doses), Prince Albert (2,340 doses), North Battleford (2,340 doses) and Yorkton (1,170) areas. Indigenous Services Canada has also received this week’s scheduled Pfizer shipment (2,340 doses) for distribution to indigenous communities.

Pharmacy Vaccination Pilot Project
Select pharmacies in 14 Saskatchewan communities will start to receive vaccine on April 29 as part of a pilot program to offer COVID-19 vaccinations. Booking for vaccination appointments may be offered as early as Monday, April 26.

Up to 63 pharmacies will participate in a small-scale rollout to refine distribution and vaccination processes. Staff working in pharmacies and stores housing pharmacies that are participating in vaccinations are eligible for vaccination.

Additional pharmacies in more communities will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available in the coming weeks.

Residents are asked to be patient as booking for appointments will vary by pharmacy, so please watch for local notifications. A list of participating pharmacies will be available on the Government of Saskatchewan website once pharmacies are ready to accept bookings. For more information visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.

Vaccination Booking System Now Open to Ages 44-plus
Effective today, eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program has expanded to age 44 and older, except for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, where it remains age 40 and older. This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-in, and mobile.

Please remember that demand for appointments outweighs current available supply. Residents will notice that there are more clinic options in rural and northern communities than in urban centres currently as all appointments in these centres are currently booked. More appointments to be added in these communities by Wednesday, April 28 and additional clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Appointments can be made online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. People who do not have a cell phone or email account, need assistance in booking, or are providing documentation for priority eligibility status must book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 254 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan April 22, bringing the provincial total to 39,137 cases.

There is one (1) new death reported in the 50-59 age group in the South Central zone.

The new cases are located in the Far Northwest (14), Far Northeast (9), Northwest (18), North Central (12), Northeast (7), Saskatoon (31), Central West (4), Central East (19), Regina (76), Southwest (14), South Central (17) and Southeast (29) zones. Four (4) new cases have pending residence information. Five cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the Regina (2) and South East (3) zones.

There are a total of 36,162 recoveries and 2,505 cases are considered active.

One hundred seventy-seven (177) people are in hospital. One hundred twenty-nine (129) people are receiving inpatient care: Far Northeast (1), Northwest (5), North Central (6), Saskatoon (43), Central East (8), Regina (53), Southwest (1), South Central (4) and Southeast (8). Forty-eight (48) people are in intensive care: North Central (2), Saskatoon (8), Central East (3), Regina (34) and Southwest (1).

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number was 248 (20.2 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 at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,706 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan April 21.

To date, 741,278 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of April 20, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 621,606 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 796,584 tests performed per million population.

As of April 21, 5,521 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far Northwest (49), Far Northeast (2), Northwest (108), North Central (71), Northeast (8), Saskatoon (560), Central West (75), Central East (229), Regina (3,206), Southwest (136), South Central (432) and Southeast (575) zones. There are 70 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are zero (0) new lineage results reported today. Of the 2,060 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,046 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), nine (9) are B.1.351 (SA) and five (5) are P.1. (Brazilian). The Regina zone accounts for 1,474 (72 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note these VOCs 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 on the website, 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 health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

All Public Health Measures Extended to May 10
Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk throughout the province, the chief medical health officer has extended all current provincial public health orders until May 10. The orders will be reviewed at that time. Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.

All residents are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures:
– Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces
– Wash non-medical masks daily
– Maintain physical distancing
– Wash your hands frequently
– Reduce activities outside of your home. Order take-out or curbside pick-up. If you are able to work from home, work from home at this time.
– Avoid all unnecessary travel throughout the province at this time

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test. If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known. Testing information is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.

Weekly Reporting of Testing Numbers and Cases for Youth
The trends of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children are being monitored. The weekly report of cases and testing numbers for children aged 0-19, including data by age and positivity rates, has been posted at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-Safe-Schools-Plan.

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.