An additional 10,195 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 480,910.

The 10,195 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far Northwest, 315; Far North Central, 10; Far Northeast, 182; Northwest, 454; North Central, 409; Northeast, 678; Saskatoon, 2,932; Central West, 384; Central East, 572; Regina, 2,772; Southwest, 287; South Central, 243; and Southeast, 589. There were 368 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Eighty-two per cent of Saskatchewan residents over age 60 have received their first dose. Sixty-seven per cent of those 40-plus have received their first dose. Forty-six per cent of those 18-plus have received their first dose.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 35-plus
On Thursday, May 6, eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program expanded to include age 35-plus. It remains 18+ for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-ins, pharmacies and mobile clinics.

Prioritized front-line workers are also eligible. A list of those occupations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vax-eligibility. Eligible priority groups may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system. Prioritized front-line workers will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization. Additional stops should be avoided if possible. More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.
Residents aged 35-plus may book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy. 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.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province. For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

The pharmacy vaccination pilot rollout continues, refining distribution and vaccination processes so appointments may be limited. Additional pharmacies in more communities will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available. The current list of pharmacies participating in the pilot is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.

Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811.

Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911. Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 156 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan May 6, bringing the provincial total to 42,376 cases.

No new deaths are reported today.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far Northwest, 1; Far Northeast, 1; Northwest, 11; North Central, 31; Northeast, 11; Saskatoon, 10; Central East, 10; Regina, 40; Southwest, 5; South Central, 13; and Southeast, 22. One new case is pending residence information. Three cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the following zones: Northwest, 1; and North Central, 2.

Seventeen cases tested out of province were added to the Northwest, 3; North Central, 1; Central East, 2; Saskatoon, 9; Southwest, 1; Southeast, 1.

Recoveries total 39,717 and 2,158 cases are considered active.

There are 173 people in hospital. One hundred and thirty-two people are receiving inpatient care: Far Northwest, 1; Far Northeast, 1; Northwest, 8; North Central, 4; Northeast, 2; Saskatoon, 60; Central East, 3; Regina, 43; Southwest, 2; South Central, 3; and Southeast, 5. Forty-one people are in intensive care: North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 14; Central East, 2; Regina, 23; and South Central, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 216 (17.6 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,494 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan May 5.

To date, 789,619 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of May 4, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 662,799 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 845,348.

As of May 5, 7,695 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far Northwest, 171; Far Northeast, 2; Northwest, 249; North Central, 181; Northeast, 32; Saskatoon, 906; Central West, 87; Central East, 328; Regina, 4,047; Southwest, 236; South Central, 564; and Southeast, 775. There are 117 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 39 new lineage results reported today. Of the 3,004 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,962 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 33 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA). The Regina zone accounts for 1,877 (62 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note these VOCs may have been initially identified by means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening). 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.

Be Safe and Limit Your Travel
Saskatchewan is a land of living skies and long highways. In a province as big as ours, travel is often required to meet the everyday needs of residents but we also start taking advantage of the warm weather to make get-away plans. At this time, please continue to minimize your travel. If residents are taking trips outside of their community, there are best practices to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission:

• Continue to follow the guidance of the current Public Health Orders.
• Manage as many retail or business needs in your home community as possible prior to any other destination.
• If you are travelling to or from a location with increased COVID-19 transmission, consider whether travel can be delayed.
• Where possible, travel in the same vehicle with members of your immediate household only.
• Travel directly from your home community to your destination with no unnecessary stops.
• Once you reach your destination, make as few stops as possible and minimize contact with residents of that community.
• Document date(s) of travel and the location of stops in case you need to refer to it later.
• While medical appointments are considered essential travel, access medical services in your home community only if possible.

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.