Two children with COVID illness in NICU

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Two children with COVID illness in NICU

Two Saskatchewan children are now in NICU/PICU suffering from COVID illness. Another child has an incidental infection, daily COVID-19 numbers from Jan. 24 show.

Overall hospitalizations rose by 10 on Jan. 24 and 262 people are now in hospital with the virus. Of those, 29 are in the ICU.

Of the 233 people receiving inpatient care that have the virus, 92 are suffering from COVID-related illness, 102 are incidental and 39 have not been determined.

Of the 29 ICU cases, five are incidental and 21 are due to COVID and related illnesses, while three are undetermined.

Today, the province saw 909 new cases added to the active case load, a reduction of 721 from the previous day’s total of 1,629 new cases. At the moment, 12,753 residents have confirmed COVID infections.

In the North Central zone, three new cases were diagnosed in North Central 1 for 145 active cases, eight new cases were confirmed in North Central 2 (Prince Albert), which now has 545 active cases.

In North Central 3, four new cases were confirmed for 127 active infections.

The zone saw 87 new doses of vaccine reported, which resulted in another 59 people now being fully vaccinated for a total of 62,012.

No new deaths were reported in the North Central zone, but the province saw three more people die. Of those, one was in Saskatoon, one was in the South East and one was in Regina.   

Provincial highlights are as follows:

As of January 24, there are 909 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 110,399 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (2), Far North East (16), North West (30), North Central (15), North East (9), Saskatoon (235), Central West (21), Central East (69), Regina (281), South West (40), South Central (86) and South East (33) zones and 72 new cases have pending residence information

-56 cases with pending residence information were assigned to the North West (19), North Central (3), Saskatoon (13), Central West (1), Central East (3), Regina (12), South West (1), South Central (3), and South East (1) zones.

-Six (6) SK residents tested out-of-province were added to the Saskatoon (from January 21 (2), January 22 (1)), Regina (from January 20 (1), January 21 (1)), and South Central (from January 21 (1)) zones

-110,399 cases are confirmed

-28,308 cases are from the Saskatoon area

-23,589 cases are from the North area (10,306 North West, 9,807 North Central, 3,476 North East)

-23,397 cases are from the Regina area

-14,596 cases are from the South area (3,031 South West, 4,336 South Central, 7,229 South East)

-10,202 cases are from the Far North area (4,813 Far North West, 582 Far North Central, 4,807 Far North East)

-8,776 cases are from the Central area (2,025 Central West, 6,751 Central East)

-1,531 cases have pending residence information

-12,753 cases are considered active and 96,671 cases are considered recovered

Two-fifths (40.0%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 24, a total of 262 individuals are hospitalized; including 233 inpatient hospitalizations, and 29 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 262 patients, 99 (37.8%) were not fully vaccinated

The SHA dashboard includes 262 hospitalizations: 233 residents are inpatient: of those, 92 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19-related illness, 102 are incidental COVID infections and 39 have not yet been determined. 29 residents are in ICUs: of those, 21 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 5 are for incidental COVID infections and 3 are undetermined. 3 residents are in PICU/NICU: 2 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 1 is for incidental COVID infections.

Three new deaths reported today. A total of 975 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died with a case fatality rate of 0.9%

1,414,762 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 19, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,180,087 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 1,453,815 tests performed per million population

As of today, the 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,256 (104.2 new cases per 100,000).

Inmates injured in Sask. Pen fight

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Inmates injured in Sask. Pen fight

One inmate from the Saskatchewan Penitentiary was taken to hospital following an altercation with another inmate recently.

The injured inmate has been returned to penitentiary after receiving care at an outside hospital on Jan. 20.

“Staff responded quickly to resolve the incident and deployed chemical agents and impact munitions to prevent further injury as per the Engagement and Intervention Model,” said the Correctional Service of Canada in a news release on Jan. 24.

Both inmates were evaluated by health care staff but only one required outside care.

CSC says the Engagement and Intervention Model is a risk-based model intended to guide staff in preventing, responding to, and resolving incidents using the most reasonable interventions. “The goal is always to prevent further injury and any use of force is limited to what is necessary and proportionate to manage the situation at hand. This may include a progression of measures to de-escalate and resolve the situation, such as verbal warnings, the use of impact munitions or warning shots,” said the news release.

Follow up by CSC involves taking a look at each incident to see what can be done to prevent and address similar situations. Information and practices are shared with police, other agencies and partners to prevent other situations.

Correctional staff and police continue to investigate the incident.

Families turn out for Story Walk

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Families turn out for Story Walk

Combining books, families, art and a local children’s author was a winning strategy for the Prince Albert Literacy Council and its Story Walk, the kickoff to Family Literacy Week.

The featured book ‘When the Trees Crackle with Cold: A Cree Calendar’ was written by Northern Sask. author Bernice Johnson-Laxdal and art by Miriam Körner

“It is wonderful to be able to engage with a local author and we were actually able to suggest the book. What was nice about it is it was able to be expanded and used across the province,” said Kara Thorpe,  Family Literacy Co-ordinator at Prince Albert Literacy Network.

Seven different hubs each received 150 copies of the book to give away.

“It’s a really neat experience to be able to take some of our northern experienced friends and have that spread across the south,” said Thorpe.

Pages from the book were enlarged and place on easels so families could read them together.

“Families get to come an read an enlarged version of a book. When they’re done they get to hang out at the Family Resource Centre,” said Thorpe.

The walk started off with a visit at Thorpe’s table in Gateway Mall then toured other stops.

The Mann Art Gallery participated as well, running a colouring contest for children. Young artists got a page from a recent edition of the Prince Albert Daily Herald to fill with their own unique artwork.

Six year old Reed likes to read so he spent his birthday at Gateway Mall taking in the Story Walk along with his mom, Lauren and grandparents Mark and Pattie (to the right) and Jim and Lillian (left).

“The whole idea of family literacy is that literacy occurs at all moments in the day. It’s expanding past the idea of a book, so having things like science, art, and being able to talk about art and use the colours, are great ways to expand children’s learning,” said Thorpe.

Families come and go at their own pace, spread themselves out, stay in groups and are generally COVID safe.

That was certainly the case for Reed, who opted to spend his sixth birthday at the Story Walk, with his mom, Lauren and both sets of grandparents.

“He loves books,” said Lauren of Reed’s decision.

Donna Hordyski, marketing co-ordinator for Gateway Mall, said it is important that events like the Story Walk happen.

“It gives an opportunity for the children to come out and families to come out and experience things they haven’t experienced before such as the poster contest,” she said.  “Do a Story Walk, do some activities and see some things that are unique.”

“We will take whatever chance we can so the children of Prince Albert have an opportunity to learn and experience growth and play.”

1,483 new cases, three more deaths, 244 hospitalized

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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1,483 new cases, three more deaths, 244 hospitalized

Omicron is roaring through the Saskatchewan population, adding another 1,483 cases to the infected persons tally today, along with an additional three deaths and 244 in the hospital, an increase of 29 from yesterday.

As of Jan. 22, 12,627 people have active infections. Health officials have stated in the past that testing may be catching between 10 and 20 per cent of actual cases.  

A total of 244 people are now in hospital, including an infant or child with COVID-related illness in the PICU/NICU. Another child in the unit has an incidental infection.

Of the hospitalizations, 24 are people in the ICU; of those 19 are suffering from COVID-related illness, four are incidental and one is undetermined.

Of the 218 people receiving inpatient care, 90 are COVID-related, 97 are incidental and 31 have yet to be determined.

Another 53 cases were added to the North Central tally and 809 people are actively infected with the virus.

North Central 1 reported 18 new cases, meaning 149 people are actively infected. Another 24 were added to the North Central 2 (Prince Albert) tally for 541 active infections and 11 more infections in North Central 3 bring that subzone’s active caseload to 119.

No new hospitalizations were reported but one additional person is in ICU for a total of three.

There are 17 people receiving inpatient care for COVID in North Central.

Yesterday saw 211 newly reported doses of vaccine given out and 131 more people are now fully vaccinated for a total of 61,852 fully vaccinated people.

The provincial summary is as follows:

As of January 22, there are 1,483 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 107,842 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (22), Far North Central (9), Far North East (31), North West (77), North Central (53), North East (56), Saskatoon (362), Central West (30), Central East (131), Regina (298), South West (50), South Central (102), and South East (151) zones, and 111 new cases have pending residence information

Of the 1,483 new cases reported today, 284 were unvaccinated or fewer than 21 days after their first dose, 79 had received their first dose or were less than 21 days from their second dose, 809 were fully vaccinated (more than 14 days since their second dose) and 311 were fully vaccinated and more than 14 days from receiving their booster dose

-92 cases with pending residence information were assigned to the Far North West (3), North West (30), North Central (27), North East (3), Saskatoon (7), Central West (1), Central East (7), Regina (11), and South East (3) zones.

-31 SK residents tested out-of-province were added to the North Central (3), Saskatoon (14), Regina (11), South Central (2), and South East (1) zones

-107,842 cases are confirmed

-27,569 cases are from the Saskatoon area

-23,261 cases are from the North area (10,177 North West, 9,656 North Central, 3,428 North East)

-22,729 cases are from the Regina area

-14,189 cases are from the South area (2,940 South West, 4,189 South Central, 7,060 South East)

-10,132 cases are from the Far North area (4,787 Far North West, 578 Far North Central, 4,767 Far North East)

-8,512 cases are from the Central area (1,959 Central West, 6,553 Central East)

-1,450 cases have pending residence information

-12,617 cases are considered active and 94,253 cases are considered recovered

Less than two-fifths (36.3 %) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 22, a total of 244 individuals are hospitalized; including 218 inpatient hospitalizations, and 26 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 244 patients, 86 (35.2%) were not fully vaccinated

The SHA dashboard includes 244 hospitalizations: 218 residents are inpatient: of those, 90 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19 – related illness, 97 are incidental COVID infections, and 31 have not yet been determined. 24 residents are in ICUs: of those, 19 are for COVID-19 – related illnesses, 4 are for incidental COVID infections, and 1 is undetermined. 2 residents are in PICU/NICU: 1 is a COVID-19 – related illnesses, and 1 incidental COVID infection

Three new deaths reported today. A total of 972 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died with a case fatality rate of 0.9%

-1,408,037 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 19, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,180,087 tests performed per million. The national rate of 1,453,815 tests performed per million.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,292 ( 107.3 new cases per 100,000)

Police nab man wanted in Pelican Narrows

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Police nab man wanted in Pelican Narrows

Police located and arrested Tanner Ballantyne in Pelican Narrows today.

Ballantyne was arrested without incident, RCMP said in a news release on Jan. 21 and has appeared in court and been remanded into custody.

His next appearance is in Pelican Narrows Provincial Court on Jan. 25 at 2:00 pm.

Ballantyne is facing multiple charges stemming from an incident at a residence in the community on Dec. 31, 2021.

He is charged with discharging a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm while unauthorized, possession of a weapon contrary to order and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.   

Nine additional deaths reported, 1,233 new cases, 215 hospitalized

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Nine additional deaths reported, 1,233 new cases, 215 hospitalized

An additional nine COVID-19 related deaths were reported today, including one in the North Central zone. 

That leads 90 deaths in the North Central zone and a total of 969 across Saskatchewan since the start of the pandemic. One previously reported death was reviewed and removed from the total. 

The province said that the deaths have occurred over the last several weeks but an issue with the website caused them to not be added to the dashboard. 

Of those, one death was reported in the Central East zone, one in the Central West zone, four in the south Central Zone and one in the South East zone. 

Provincially of the 215 people in hospital with COVID, 192 are receiving inpatient care and 23 are in the ICU. 

Of the patients not in ICU, 88 have a COVID-related illness, 89 are incidental and 15 have not been determined. 

Of the 23 positive cases in ICU, 15 have a COVID-related illness, seven are incidental and one is undetermined. 

The North Central zone saw 46 new cases reported for Jan. 21, an increase of four from yesterday. However, of the previous cases with pending residence information, an additional 273 cases were added to the regional totals. 

There are now 756 active cases in North Central and 20 people are in the hospital. Of those, three are in ICU.

By sub zone, North Central 1 now has 130 active cases with six added today, North Central 2 had 29 new cases for 514 active today and North Central 3 saw an addition of 11 cases to bring them to 112 active cases. 

Yesterday, 155 tests were done and 89,182 tests have been completed in since the start of the pandemic. 

An additional 150 doses of vaccine were administered and 88 more people are now considered fully vaccinated. 

A total of 128,826 doses of vaccine have been given in the zone and 61,649 people are fully vaccinated. 

In North Central, the mostly recently eligible age group of five to 11-year-olds has had 42 per cent receiving one dose and 13 per cent now fully vaccinated. 

Older youth aged 12 to 17 show much higher rates with 81 per cent having one dose and 73 per cent fully vaccinated. 

The provincial highlights are as follows: 

As of January 21, there are 1,233 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 106,328 reported cases.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (44), Far North Central (9), Far North East (17), North West (36), North Central (46), North East (37), Saskatoon (285), Central West (20), Central East (97), Regina (302), South West (45), South Central (75), and South East (87) zones and 133 new cases have pending residence information

Of the 1,233 new cases reported today, 229 were unvaccinated or fewer than 21 days after their first dose, 45 had received their first dose or were less than 21 days from their second dose, 685 were fully vaccinated (more than 14 days since their second dose) and 274 were fully vaccinated and more than 14 days from receiving their booster dose

-1,173 cases with pending residence information were assigned to the Far North West (40), Far North Central (3), Far North East (69), North West (379), North Central (273), North East (16), Saskatoon (111), Central West (32), Central East (50), Regina (125), South West (16), South Central (27), and South East (32) zones.

-25 SK residents tested out-of-province were added to the Saskatoon (7), Central East (1), Regina (13), South Central (2), and South East (2) zones. Details of additions are included in a one time table included at the end of the report

-Two (2) cases were removed from the Central East (from January 14 (1)), and Regina (from January 15 (1)) zones

-106,328 cases are confirmed

-27,186 cases are from the Saskatoon area

-23,012 cases are from the North area (10,070 North West, 9,573 North Central, 3,369 North East)

-22,409 cases are from the Regina area

-10,067 cases are from the Far North area (4,762 Far North West, 569 Far North Central, 4,736 Far North East)

-13,880 cases are from the South area (2,890 South West, 4,085 South Central, 6,905 South East)

-8,343 cases are from the Central area (1,928 Central West, 6,415 Central East)

-1,431 cases have pending residence information

-12,199 cases are considered active and 93,160 cases are considered recovered

Almost two-fifths (38.3%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 21st, a total of 215 individuals are hospitalized, including 192 inpatient hospitalizations and 23 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 215 patients, 71 (33.0%) were not fully vaccinated

The SHA dashboard includes 215 hospitalizations: 192 residents are inpatient: of those, 88 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19-related illness, 89 are incidental COVID infections and 15 have not yet been determined. 23 residents are in ICUs: of those, 15 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 7 are for incidental COVID infections and 1 is undetermined

Nine (9) new deaths reported today. One (1) individual whose death was flagged as COVID-19 previously is no longer flagged, and has been removed from the total. A total of 969 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died, with a case fatality rate of 0.9%.

1,403,443 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 18, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,176,773 tests performed per million. The national rate of 1,450,921 tests performed per million.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,240 ( 103.0 new cases per 100,000)

Dashboard glitch meant nine deaths unreported until today

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Dashboard glitch meant nine deaths unreported until today

The provincial death toll from COVID-19 jumped by nine cases today as the province addressed a reporting issue on its dashboard.

One of those deaths was in the North Central zone, meaning 90 people have now died after contracting the virus in Prince Albert and surrounding communities.

“There were several anomalies that were identified, including potential missing data which has been corrected,” Provincial Medical Officer of Health Dr. Saqib Shahab said in an online media briefing on Jan. 21.

“A key finding from this review is that there were nine deaths unfortunately reported related to COVID since Jan 1, 2022 that were not on the dashboard so those have since been added,” he said.

Shahab attributed the issue to the change in the calendar year.

“There was a flag that was brought up that because no deaths were being reported, is there an issue with the filters and that was exactly what was found,” he said.

The provincial NDP are chastising the province and Premier Scott Moe, saying the premier is choosing which numbers he talks about in an effort to spin the data.

“The premier chose to share cherry-picked hospitalization statistics that support his political narrative while withholding credible data forecasting a best-case scenario of imminent health care disaster,” said the Official Opposition party in an emailed statement.

They also want to see stronger measures from the province to slow the growth of the virus in Saskatchewan.

“The premier told Saskatchewan people he regretted not acting sooner in the fourth wave. So why now, with the benefit of hindsight and foresight, is he again choosing to gamble with a potential health system collapse?” said  Health Critic Vicki Mowat. “What we’re getting from the premier is a dishonest and politically-driven campaign to justify doing nothing.”

Also added to the dashboard today from the same glitch, were 11 ICU admissions that are no longer current, 86 inpatient admissions, also historic, and 2,233 now-resolved COVID cases in the larger population.

Shahab said the numbers that were added since the start of January were not impacted by the problem.

The dashboard will continue to be monitored and updated to keep the information timely and accurate, he explained.

Of the nine new deaths, three were in the Central East, North Central and South Central in the 80 and over age group, two were in the 70 to 79 age range from Central West and South East, two in their 60s from South Central and South East and two in the 80-plus range from the South Central area.

The data is becoming increasingly complex,” Shahab said. Some of the data that is added to the dashboard is not funneled through Panorama, the health information system the province uses, but instead is added directly by labs or hospitals.

Guidelines around reporting COVID deaths

For the last several weeks, the province has broken down hospitalizations and ICU admissions that are positive for COVID in two ways, as COVID-related or incidental.

Shahab said that the different variants of the virus have had an impact.

“It’s getting more complex. As an example, during the Delta wave, someone in their 40s, unvaccinated, in ICU with COVID-related pneumonia who unfortunately – many in that age range passed away in the fall– that was obviously a COVID related death,” he said. “That would have been picked up immediately.”

He said over the next few weeks as the extremely-contagious Omicron variant continues to grow, more deaths will happen.

“We still may see over the next few weeks, deaths that are primarily due to COVID. Those are hard to miss. They’re very obvious especially if its someone that is otherwise healthy and has no co-morbidities.”

Shahab used influenza as an example, which has a new vaccine every year to best combat whichever strains are most likely to be dominant. People who are frail or have underlying co-morbidities, can get the virus which then triggers a series of health issues that can then result in hospitalization and death.

Sometimes it’s the other way around and a person who is admitted for an injury caused by a vehicle collision can also test positive but the virus is not the reason for their care.

“But in between you have many complex presentations where somebody may be in for a heart attack but screen positive for COVID,” said Shahab. “That most likely, the COVID is incidental but the COVID starts complicating the clinical picture. If the person passes away, that still has to be assessed.”

A person with chronic lung disease who also contracts COVID and then requires hospitalizations leads to different criteria as well.

COVID can be listed as a contributing cause or a primary cause on the death certificate.

“I think we have to report consistently not just across Saskatchewan, but all provinces for data comparability,” Shahab said.

Incidental COVID impacts care

Even if a patient has incidental COVID, how the hospital cares for them changes as the spread must still be controlled.

Patients with COVID can have the virus impact other conditions such as a lung condition and the patient is managed for that but also, a patient who has no COVID symptoms still has a different care picture as transmission needs to be controlled to both other patients and staff.

“Once you are hospitalized you still require additional ways of infection prevention and control because you still want to minimize transmission of COVID. Care is still more complex. COVID may not be the reason for hospitalization but the COVID can complicate your clinical picture,” Shahab said.

Province reports 1,158 new COVID cases, 215 patients in hospital

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Province reports 1,158 new COVID cases, 215 patients in hospital

Another 1,158 cases were added to the provincial total of COVID-19 numbers on Jan. 20, and another 16 people are in hospital.

There are now 215 COVID patients in hospital, 23 of which are in the ICU. Of those 215 patients, 74 were not fully vaccinated.

Also, 90 of the inpatient admissions are due to COVID-related illness, 88 are incidental and 14 are not yet determined. 

Of those in the ICU, 15 have a COVID-related illness, six are incidental and two are undetermined. 

Hospitalizations in the North Central zone increased by six in the last 24 hours and now stand at 22 with two people in the ICU.

Another 42 new cases were added to the North Central active case list, 24 fewer than yesterday. There are 590 active infections. 

In the North Central 1 sub-zone, 110 people are infected with seven new cases, in North Central 2 (Prince Albert), 380 cases are confirmed with 18 new and of the 100 active cases in North Central 3, 17 are new. 

So far, North Central has seen 9,254 cases and no new deaths were reported. 

Yesterday, 155 tests were performed and 150 new doses of vaccine were administered. 

Adding the 88 new people now considered fully vaccinated brings the total to 61,649. 

A total of 128,826 doses of vaccine have been administered in the zone so far. 

Provincial summary is as follows: 

As of January 20th, there are 1,158 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 105,072 reported cases

The new cases are located in the Far North West (10), Far North East (18), North West (54), North Central (42), North East (13), Saskatoon (366), Central West (18), Central East (66), Regina (349), South West (10), South Central (35), and South East (64) zones and 113 new cases have pending residence information

Of the 1,158 new cases reported today, 221 were unvaccinated or fewer than 21 days after their first dose, 57 had received their first dose or were less than 21 days from their second dose, 637 were fully vaccinated (more than 14 days since their second dose) and 243 were fully vaccinated and more than 14 days from receiving their booster dose

Two (2) cases with pending residence information were assigned to the Regina (from January 1 (1)), and South Central (from January 15 (1)) zones

14 SK residents tested out-of-province were added to the Far North West (from January 17 (1)), Saskatoon (from January 8 (1), January 16 (2), January 17 (5)), Regina (from January 8 (1), January 9 (1), January 13 (1)), and South Central (from January 17 (1)) zones and 1 pending residence location

One (1) repeated case was removed to the Far North West zone from January 18, 2022

105,072 cases are confirmed

26,783 cases are from the Saskatoon area

22,225 cases are from the North area (9,655 North West, 9,254 North Central, 3,316 North East)

21,970 cases are from the Regina area

13,594 cases are from the South area (2,829 South West, 3,981 South Central, 6,784 South East)

9,885 cases are from the Far North area (4,678 Far North West, 557 Far North Central, 4,650 Far North East)

8,144 cases are from the Central area (1,876 Central West, 6,268 Central East)

2,471 cases have pending residence information

11,973 cases are considered active and 92,138 cases are considered recovered

Almost two-fifths (36.2%) of new cases are in the age category of 20 to 39

As of January 20th, a total of 215 individuals are hospitalized, including 192  inpatient hospitalizations and 23  ICU hospitalizations. Of the 215 patients, 74 (34.4%) were not fully vaccinated.

The SHA dashboard includes 215 hospitalizations: 192 residents are inpatient: of those, 90 inpatient hospitalizations are a COVID-19-related illness, 88 are incidental, COVID infections and 14 have not yet been determined. 23 residents are in ICUs: of those, 15 are for COVID-19-related illnesses, 6 are for incidental COVID infections and 2 are undetermined

No (0) new deaths reported today. 961 Saskatchewan residents with COVID-19 have died, with a case fatality rate of 0.9%.

1,396,747 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of January 17, 2022, when other provincial and national numbers are available from PHAC, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 1,176,773 tests performed per million. The national rate was 1,449,858 tests performed per million.

The 7-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers was 1,269 (105.3 new cases per 100,000).

Northern residents asked not to travel unless necessary

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Northern residents asked not to travel unless necessary

Residents of the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District are being advised against all travel that is not essential, effective immediately.

Medical Health Officers for NITHA and the Athabasca Health Authority are concerned about the increasing COVID-19 case numbers in the north, especially with the current highly-contagious Omicron variant.

The advisory is a precautionary measure meant to slow down the spread of the virus in order to avoid severe impacts on workplaces, schools, businesses, health and other critical services.

Health Officers would like all non-essential travel to end immediately and stay that way until the end of February at which time the advisory will be reviewed.

As of Jan. 19, NITHA communities have 188 active infections, with the most concentrated numbers in the Far North East at 95 active cases.

The zone includes communities ranging from Deschambault Lake, Hatchet Lake, Pelican Narrows and Stanley Mission.

The Far North West (Buffalo River, Flying Dust, Waterhen and others) has 35 active cases while the North East (Cumberland House, James Smith, Red Earth and Shoal Lake) has 30 known cases.

The North Central zone (Montreal Lake, Little Red River, Sturgeon Lake and Wahpeton) has 20 active cases and the Athabasca area has eight.

“Many of these cases are linked to travel outside northern communities – to areas in the south, and out-of-province, where there are currently higher rates of COVID-19 community transmission,” said NITHA in an alert posted to its website and social media pages.

They also would like travel between communities in the NSAD be limited and only involve essential services.

Examples of essential services can be found in Appendix A of the Province’s Public Health Order available on the Government of Saskatchewan website.

The advisory is based on evidence and the recommendation of regional Medical Health Officer and is not a restriction under the current Chief Medical Health Officer’s Public Health Order, which includes the entire province.

People are asked to watch for the symptoms of the virus, including fever, cough, headache, muscle and/or joint aches, pains, sore throats, chills, runny nose, congestion, conjunctivitis (pink eye), dizziness, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Vaccination against the virus remains the best way to avoid severe outcomes such as hospitalization or death.

Of the 37 new cases reported in NITHA communities on Jan. 19, 17 were in fully vaccinated people, 11 were in unvaccinated people and seven were in partially vaccinated people. Two cases were in those not eligible for vaccination.

Vaccination rates are as follows, 45,331 doses have been administered with 24,939 being a first dose, 17,829 were second doses and 2,563 people have gotten a third (booster dose).

Of those, there were 26 adverse events with one designated as serious. According to Health Canada, the most frequent serious adverse reaction is a tingling or prickling feeling and the second is vaccination site pain.

There are no current hospitalizations of residents from NITHA communities.

To date, there have been 48 deaths following infection amongst NITHA community members.

Well-fitting masks and keeping contact with others limited also reduces the spread.

People are asked to maintain handwashing protocols or use sanitizer and to test themselves regularly using rapid antigen tests that are freely available.

Calls for service increase, along with violence and property crimes for PAPS

Susan McNeil, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Calls for service increase, along with violence and property crimes for PAPS

A trend upward in violence and property crime was slightly offset by a reduction in break and enters, the Prince Albert Police Service said in its annual statistics report. 

PAPS released its 2021 report on Jan. 19, which included a total of 41,100 calls for service, an average of 112 per day. These include disturbances, suspicious incidents, weapons complaints, assault and more serious violence. 

“In 2021, our police service responded to a tragic nine homicides, each of which left loved ones and friends devastated and shocked our community,” said PAPS in a news release. 

“Investigators with the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) have laid charges in seven of these homicides and continue to investigate, in addition to suspicious missing persons files and other serious incidents of assault.”

The numbers for 2021 reflect a 1.76 per cent increase over 2020. 

Some positive numbers can be seen, including a 3.58 per cent decrease in the number of victims of assault. 

Officers continue to target areas such as gang activity, weapons offences, drug trafficking and abuse against children, using targeted enforcement units and by working with other agencies. 

In 2021, there were 418 reported break and enters, a drop of 16 per cent from 2020. Fewer homes, business and outbuildings were broken into and the number is the lowest in the last five years. 

There were more property crimes including wilful damage, theft under $5,000 and thefts of motor vehicles between 2021 and 2020, but the final number is still lower than the previous three years, starting in 2017. 

Of the 372 stolen vehicles reported last year, 87 had the keys in the vehicle at the time and 300 were recovered with 85 charges laid as a result. 

Some of the change in property crime is attributed to the ongoing closure of some businesses and organizations that remain closed because of the pandemic. 

Arsons increased from a then-high of 45 in 2020, to 52 in 2021. Most of the arsons were in residences (13) but the next highest number was in garbage bins (11). 

“Poverty, addictions, and mental health concerns continue be a significant factor in the number of property crimes reported each year,” said PAPS. 

A significant increase in reports of voyeurism was noted with two reported in 2020 and 11 last year. 

PAPS says this is in part because of increased public awareness about the consequences of sharing intimate images. 

Last year, 136 firearms were seized, an increase over the five year average of 129, but lower than the high of 167 reported in 2020.

Most of the seized guns from 2021 fall into the other firearm category but 29 were restricted, 28 were rifles, 18 were sawed-off rifles, 19 were shot guns and 11 were sawed-off shot guns. 

Of the seizures, 53 came from vehicles, 37 from residences, 13 from people and 26 were relinquished by their owners. Seven were seized on the street and none were found. 

Last year, there were 84 incidents where guns were brandished or discharged. 

Drug trafficking and possession charges fell in 2021 to 36 incidents of possession and 57 incidents of trafficking. 

In 2020, 64 cases of trafficking were reported and 60 cases of possession. 

The main types of illegal substances seized includes meth, crack cocaine, cocaine, cannabis resin and cannabis marihuana. 

One investigation in particular resulted in a seizure of 1,722 grams of meth and 2,782 grams of cocaine. 

The new Proactive Police Unit, first approved by council in mid-2021, is now active. Its job is to focus on addresses that see a lot of calls for service, targeted enforcement and monitoring of crime trends. 

“This new police unit, while still in its early stages, has already seen success working with homeowners and landlords to reduce calls for service at residential and business addresses, initiate proactive patrols around high-traffic areas across the city – including the downtown bus transfer station and busy shopping areas – and connect individuals who are homeless with supports and services that can help,” said PAPS.

The Community Police Unit has remained focused on visible policing and works with businesses and organizations to address crime trends. Measures include better security and lighting as a deterrent to thieves. 

Community Safety Officers are still tasked with investigating crimes such as graffiti, wilful damage and shoplifting. 

CSOs also do regular patrols through the community. 

Two officers work with trained health professionals through the Police and Crisis Team, responding to mental health-related calls and those involving trauma. 

In the area of human resources, PAPS has hired over a dozen new patrol officers in the last year. Five were the result of newly funded positions and the remainder filled vacancies caused by retirements or resignations. 

The service continues to recruit new officers. 

susan.mcneil@paherald.sk.ca

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