Health officials reported 141 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, along with 180 recoveries and no new deaths.
The province also reported that 615,459 vaccines were administered Tuesday, including 434 in North Central. Roughly 61 per cent of Saskatchewan adults have now received their first vaccine dose.
Of the 141 new COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday, 13 are in North Central. Nine more recoveries were also reported in the area, bringing the total number of active cases to 146.
Prince Albert reported nine of those new cases, while Zone 1 and Zone 3 reported two new cases each. There are now 70 active cases in Prince Albert, along with 40 in Zone 1 and 36 in Zone 3.
The Far North West reported five new cases on Wednesday and eight more recoveries, bringing their active case total to 40. The Far North East reported one new case and no recoveries. There are now 26 active cases in the area.
Far North Central reported no new cases or recoveries. There is one active case in the area.
The North East Zone, which includes Melfort, Tisdale and Nipawin, reported one new case and no new recoveries. The area has 31 active cases.
Saskatoon reported the highest number of new cases with 38, followed by the North West Zone with 19, Regina with 18, and the Central East Zone with 15.
Saskatchewan has 1,786 active cases, 533 of which are in the Saskatoon Zone. Regina has the second highest total with 328, followed by the North West with 183.
Provincial health authorities have reported an average of 180 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week.
There are 134 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 28 in intensive care. Two of those ICU patients are in North Central.
Second doses are underway for residents 85 and older who received their first dose before Feb. 15. Residents diagnosed with or being treated for cancer, and patients who have received solid organ transplants will receive priority access. Those patients should receive letters of eligibility in the mail.
Residents at least 80-years-old who received their first dose on or before Mar. 1 will become eligible for a second dose on May 27. Residents ages 70 and older are eligible on May 31, provided they received their second dose before Mar. 15.
All residents who received their first dose on or before May 1 will become eligible for a second dose on June 28.
Second dose vaccinations will be available at participating pharmacies across Saskatchewan, and through SHA drive-thru and walk-in clinics. Indigenous Services Canada and Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority clinics will also offer second doses.
Clinics or pharmacies will confirm the timing and brand of a patients first dose during the appointment, but residents are encouraged to have that information available when booking online or over the phone. Residents who do not remember or have misplaced that information can find it on their MySaskHealthRecord account.
At this time, the province wants residents to get first and second doses from the same company. Clinical trials are underway to determine the safety and efficacy of getting doses from two different companies. The province says it may change its guidelines following the review.
As of Tuesday, 9,555 variants of concern (VOCs) have been identified in Saskatchewan, including 299 in North Central. More than 4,500 have had their lineage identified by whole genome sequencing.
Health officials say 4,477 are the B.1.1.1.7 lineage, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, 92 are the P.1 variety from Brazil, 10 are the B.1.351 variety from South Africa, and seven are the B.1.617 variety from India. Saskatchewan reported no new lineage results on Wednesday.
