A patient from the north region who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.

The patient was in their 60s. The provincial government did not release their location. This is Saskatchewan’s 16th COVID-19 related death.

Thursday saw another surge of cases in the southern part of the province. The government announced 42 new cases, 23 of which were in the south. The north and far north had three new cases each. The rest were in the central (11) and Saskatoon (2) regions.

Health authorities reported 17 new cases in Hutterite communities in the southwest and west-central areas of the province. All new cases were in communities that already had COVID outbreaks. The number of communities with active cases decreased from 17 to 15.

Last week, everyone in the affected communities was asked to stay home, self-isolate, get tested, and limit interpersonal contacts and group gatherings. Essential travel is limited to a small number of designated individuals in each community.

Another 13 people recovered from the virus. That means there are now 218 active cases in the province.

COVID-19 testing is now available for anyone who requests it, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Residents can get a referral by calling HealthLine 811. The province performed 1,468 COVID-19 tests in Saskatchewan on Wednesday.