COVID-19 Update: 15 New Cases, 13 In Hospital, 12 More Recoveries

Released on August 9, 2020

There are 15 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on August 9.  The new cases are located in Regina (5), the North West (1), Saskatoon (1), Central West (1), South West (3) and South Central (3) zones.  One (1) case’s residence information is pending.

One case reported July 22 and two cases reported August 7 are individuals who live outside Saskatchewan.  These cases have been removed from the Saskatchewan count and should be counted in the person’s home province, as per guidance provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada.  This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan to 1,445 cases.
Of the 1,445 reported cases, 168 are considered active.  A total of 1,257 people have recovered.

Thirteen people are in hospital.  Seven people are receiving inpatient care; three in Saskatoon, one in Regina, two in the South West region and one in South Central.  Six people are in intensive care; four in Saskatoon, one in the North Central region and one in the South West. 

Of the 1,445 cases in the province:

• 206 cases are travellers;
• 720 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 389 have no known exposures; and
• 130 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 64 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 352 cases are from the far north area (346 far north west, 0 far north central, 6 far north east), 329 cases are from the south area (156 south west, 162 south central, 11 south east), 231 cases are from the north area (100 north west, 66 north central, 65 north east), 224 cases are from the Saskatoon area, 190 cases are from the central area (160 central west, 30 central east) and 118 cases are from the Regina area.
• 229 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 458 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 456 are in the 40-59 age range; 248 are in the 60-79 age range; and 54 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
• 20 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 111,748 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of August 7, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 80,706 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 117,162 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, 1,945 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health Authority Precautionary Health Advisories

Over the last few days, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has issued several precautionary advisories for Regina and Saskatoon.  Residents can find more details on specific advisories at https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca.

• Everyone should continue to take measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, including:
•  Practice proper cough and sneezing etiquette (into a tissue or the bend of your elbow);
• Wash your hands often with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Stay home if you are sick; and
• Practice physical distancing.

You should always be aware of who you have been in contact with over the past two weeks.  If you test positive for COVID-19, these are the people who will need to be contacted by public health.

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone who requests it, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.  A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811.  Since introducing universal testing, there has been an increase in requests to be tested with the corresponding increase in provincial testing numbers.  The Saskatchewan Health Authority is working to ensure responsive service timing.  Contact your physician’s office if you are experiencing worsening symptoms.  If you require urgent care, call 911.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.

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For more information, contact:

Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca