An additional 8,856 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 290,921.

The 8,856 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far Northwest (6), Far Northeast (48), Northwest (274), North Central (332), Northeast (62), Saskatoon (1,752), Central West (343), Central East (896), Regina (2,881), Southwest (461), South Central (542) and Southeast (1,040). There were 219 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Fifty-two per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 50-plus have received their first dose.

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.

The Pfizer shipment (31,590 doses) is expected April 13 and 14 and will be distributed throughout he province. The April 19 Moderna shipment is delayed however, very few rescheduled appointments are anticipated. Residents will be contacted if their booking is affected.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 55-plus Province Wide
Saskatchewan’s vaccine booking system is available to all individuals 55 years of age and older. Eligible residents ages 55+ can book their appointment online at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine, or by phone at 1-833-SASKVAX. Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 300 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan April 12, bringing the provincial total to 36,604 cases. Four (4) cases were found to be out-of-province residents and removed from Saskatoon (1), Southeast (1) and pending (2) counts. Three (3) cases not previously reported were added to Saskatoon zone.

There was one (1) new death reported in the 60 to 69 range in the Regina zone.

The new cases are located in the Far Northwest (4), Far Northeast (3), Northwest (17), North Central (9), Northeast (1), Saskatoon (72), Central West (15), Central East (22), Regina (96), Southwest (10), South Central (17) and Southeast (22) zones. Twelve (12) new cases have pending residence information. Three (3) cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the Central West (1) and Regina (2) zones. There are a total of 33,600 recoveries and 2,549 cases are considered active.

One hundred ninety-eight (198) people are in hospital. One hundred fifty-seven (157) people are receiving inpatient care: Far Northwest (2), Far Northeast (1), Northwest (4), North Central (7), Northeast (2), Saskatoon (46), Central East (10), Regina (77), Southwest (1) and Southeast (7). Forty-one (41) people are in intensive care: North Central (3), Saskatoon (5), Central East (3), Regina (26), Southwest (1) and South Central (3).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 261 (21.3 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 3,093 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan April 11.

To date, 707,648 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of April 10, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 593,594 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 763,047 tests performed per million population.

As of April 12, 3,485 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far Northwest (7), Far Northeast (1), Northwest (13), North Central (39), Northeast (3), Saskatoon (181), Central West (13), Central East (94), Regina (2,423), Southwest (33), South Central (309) and Southeast (348) zones. There are 21 cases with residence pending.

These were previously reported as “presumptive positives,” but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations. There were zero (0) new lineage results being reported today. Of the 1,435 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 1,426 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK) and nine are B.1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 1,131 (79 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note that 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 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 healthcare 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 April 26
The Chief Medical Health Officer has extended the provincial public health orders announced Tuesday, March 9 and the Regina and area revisions announced Tuesday, March 24. The orders will remain in effect until April 26, 2021, and be reviewed at that time.

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk in Regina and area, revisions were made March 24 including: restricting private indoor gatherings to immediate household members only; all restaurants and licensed establishments must close for in-person dining; and most event venues supporting 30 persons or less are not permitted to operate.

Travel is also not recommended in or out of the Regina area unless absolutely necessary. It is strongly recommended that all individuals in the Regina area able to work from home do so.

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

Please note: Variants of concern (VOC) are beginning to rise across Saskatchewan, particularly in the Regina, Moose Jaw, Estevan, Weyburn and Saskatoon areas. Residents in the entire province 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 to and from Regina, Moose Jaw and Weyburn.

All Saskatchewan residents should monitor active cases in their area and adjust their activity accordingly. Active and new case information for each area can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

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.

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.