Saskatchewan health officials reported three new cases of COVID-19 in North Central, which includes Prince Albert, on Saturday.
This was among a total of 280 cases reported in the province on Thursday. Regina led the province with 112 new cases reported.
This was the highest daily case count in the province reported since Jan. 22.
North Central 2, which is Prince Albert, has 34 active cases. North Central 1, which includes communities such as Christopher Lake, Candle Lake and Meath Park, has 20 active cases and North Central 3 has 26 active cases.
There were no new deaths reported by the province on Saturday.
The total number of deaths was incorrectly reported yesterday as 437 and should be 436 as a death was previously incorrectly reported. More details were not given by the province.
There are currently 189 COVID-19 patients in hospital across the province. Of the 147 reported as receiving in patient care, there are two in North Central. Of the 42 people reported as being in intensive care, there are two in North Central.
The current seven-day average for new cases is 220, or 17.9 cases per 100,000 population. Of the 34,323 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 2,143 are considered active. Another 190 recoveries were reported on Saturday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 31,744.
Since the start of the pandemic, 8,139 cases have been reported in the North area (3,289 North West, 3,519 North Central and 1,331 North East).
There were 3,336 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 2.
As of today there have been 677,547 COVID-19 tests performed in Saskatchewan.
There were 5,504 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered yesterday in Saskatchewan bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 208,742.
There were no doses administered in the North Central Zone reported on Friday. Doses were also administered in the Far North West, North West, Central East, South Central, South West, Regina and Saskatoon.
The COVID-19 vaccine appointment booking system has now opened up to include residents 58 years of age and older. Eligible residents are encouraged to book their COVID-19 vaccinations and can do so online or by phone.
According to the province, one fifth of Saskatchewan residents in their 80s have now received their second dose of vaccine and are fully vaccinated. Those numbers are accurate as of April 3.
The AstraZeneca shipment from the United States has arrived and has been distributed leading to the opening of drive thru clinics in places like Prince Albert .
The remaining doses from the March 22 Moderna shipment are expected to arrive today and Wednesday.
On Monday, April 5 the Ministry of Health is launching a new dashboard at their website with details on vaccine administration in the province, including first and second doses administered by age range. In preparation for the launch of the new dashboard, the Ministry will be updating reporting systems used for vaccination information. Due to this transition, vaccine data will not be available on Sunday, April 4.
16 variants of concern identified in North Central
There were 16 confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases identified by the province in the North Central zone, which includes Prince Albert, on April 2.
This was among 2,226 variants of concern identified by screening in Saskatchewan. Other regions with identified cases included Regina, Saskatoon, Far North East, Central West, Central East, South West, South Central and South East. There are currently 131 cases with area of residency pending.
Regina led the province with 1,578 identified VOCs.
These have previously been reported as “presumptive positives” but all screening tests will be considered confirmed VOCs for the purposes of public reporting and contact investigations.
There were no new lineage results reported today. Of the 949 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 941 are B1.1.1.7 (UK) and eight are B1.351 (SA).
The Regina zone accounts for 802 (85 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.
