An additional 3,050 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 530,307.

The 3,050 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far Northwest, 82; Far North Central, 1; Far Northeast, 19; Northwest, 164; North Central, 334; Northeast, 40; Saskatoon, 1,341; Central West, 21; Central East, 160; Regina, 269; Southwest, 162; South Central, 66; and Southeast, 307. There were 84 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-two per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose. Sixty-one per cent of those 30-pus have received their first dose. Fifty-one per cent of those 18-plus have received their first dose.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 29-plus; Changes to 26-plus Tomorrow

Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program is currently age 29 and older. Effective at 8 a.m. tomorrow (May 12), eligibility will expand to age 26 and older. It remains age 18 and older 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).

Residents aged 29-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 current list of pharmacies offering vaccinations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies. Find participating pharmacies near you using the map tool.

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 when travelling to another community for an appointment. More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Starting tomorrow (May 12), the vaccination clinic in Drayton, North Dakota is changing its hours. Eligible truck drivers and essential energy workers will be able to receive their vaccine between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

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 186 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan May 11, bringing the provincial total to 43,481 cases. Seven cases tested out of province were added to the following zones: Far Northwest, 2; Northwest, 2; and Regina, 3.

There are four new deaths reported today. Three deaths in the Northwest zone from the following age groups: 30-39, 1; 70-79, 1; and 80-plus, 1; and one death in the South Central zone from the 60-69 age group.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far Northwest, 1; Far Northeast, 5; Northwest, 13; North Central, 29; Northeast, 3; Saskatoon, 53; Central West, 1; Central East, 7; Regina, 46; Southwest, 7; South Central, 12; and Southeast, 7. Two new cases are pending residence information. Four cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the following zones: Far Northeast, 1; Central East, 1; and Regina, 2.

Recoveries total 40,911 and 2,064 cases are considered active.

There are 162 people in hospital. One hundred twenty-four people are receiving inpatient care: Northwest, 5; North Central, 4; Northeast, 1; Saskatoon, 61; Central East, 3; Regina, 40; Southwest, 1; South Central, 3; and Southeast, 6. Thirty-eight people are in intensive care: North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 13; Central East, 2; Regina, 19; Southwest, 1; and South Central, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 204 (16.6 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 3,043 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan May 10.

To date, 805,679 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of May 9, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 676,807 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 861,639.

As of May 10, 8,514 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far Northwest, 191; Far Northeast, 8; Northwest, 324; North Central, 251; Northeast, 50; Saskatoon, 1,064; Central West, 91; Central East, 384; Regina, 4,253; Southwest, 279; South Central, 616; and Southeast, 871. There are 132 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 60 new lineage results reported today. Of the 3,496 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 3,436 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 51 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).

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.

Don’t Let COVID-19 Hitch a Ride Home with You
While Saskatchewan continues to monitor COVID-19 trends throughout the province, public health reminds all residents to ensure any travel both within the province and inter-provincially is for essential purposes only.

If your inter-provincial travel is necessary, please be aware of the risk of transmission in those jurisdictions, the public health orders that are in effect there, and plan to be tested immediately upon returning home.

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.