Public health measures set to expire on Friday will remain in effect until March 19, the provincial government announced on Tuesday.
They also added more healthcare workers to the phase one vaccine delivery plan. The list includes up to 2,600 physicians and 1,200 pharmacists who will be directly involved in phase two immunizations, along with anesthesia and operating room staff, vaccination teams, radiology technicians, lab workers handling COVID-19 specimens, homecare workers, and other critical staff.
Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab will speak more about the extension during a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. The number of active COVID-19 cases numbers has dropped from a 2021 high of 4,265 on Jan. 18 to 1,611.
Health officials reported 136 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, along with 27 recoveries and three deaths linked to the virus. Two of those deaths occurred in the Far North West, where a patient in their 40s and another at least 80 or older passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. The other death involved a patient in their 50s from the North West. There have now been 357 deaths in Saskatchewan since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Regional breakdowns from Tuesday’s update included cases announced on Family Day.
The North Central Zone reported six on Monday and 16 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 22. There are now 133 active cases in the region, including 36 in Prince Albert (Zone 2), 50 in Zone 1, and 47 in Zone 3.
The three far north regions reported a combined seven new cases over Monday and Tuesday. The Far North West reported four cases, while Far North East reported two and Far North Central reported 1.
There are now 133 active cases in the Far North West, 76 in the Far North East, and 32 in Far North Central.
The North East reported a combined 17 new cases. There are now 65 active cases in the region.
Saskatoon has the highest number of active cases with 449, followed by Regina with 342 and the North West with 188. The South West Zone has the lowest number with two, followed by South Central with 26 and Far North Central with 32.
There are 184 patients in hospital with COVID-19, including 20 in intensive care. One of those ICU patients is in North Central.
Healthcare workers administered 22 vaccine doses on Monday, bringing the total number of doses administered in Saskatchewan to 49,841. All 22 doses were delivered in the North East Zone.
