COVID-19 Update: 14 New Cases, 15 In Hospital, 24 More Recoveries

Released on July 31, 2020

There are 14 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on July 31, bringing the total to 1,319 cases.  The new cases are located in the North (1), Central (6), Saskatoon (1) and South (6) regions.

One case that tested positive in Saskatchewan that had a pending location has been determined to be a non‐Saskatchewan resident.  Please note that this case has been removed from Saskatchewan’s total confirmed case count and should be included in their resident province/territory count.

Of the 14 cases reported today, investigations completed thus far have found nine cases are from multiple communal living settings across the province.

Of the 1,319 reported cases, 293 are considered active.  A total of 1,008 people have recovered.

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

Of the 1,319 cases in the province:

• 202 cases are travellers;
• 659 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 322 have no known exposures; and
• 126 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 63 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 348 of the cases are from the Far North, 282 from the South, 245 are from the Saskatoon area, 193 from the North, 160 from the Central region and 91 from the Regina area.
• One case that tested positive in Saskatchewan that had a pending location has been determined to be a non‐Saskatchewan resident.  Please note that this case has been removed from Saskatchewan’s total confirmed case count and should be included in their resident province/territory count.
• 210 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 425 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 416 are in the 40-59 age range; 222 are in the 60-79 age range; and 46 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
• 18 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 98,510 COVID‐19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of July 29, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 71,299 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 106,234 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, 1,804 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.  This is the highest daily number of tests performed to date.

Working with Hutterite Communities 

The Ministry of Health and the SHA continue to work with Hutterite communities across Saskatchewan to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Yesterday, Premier Scott Moe spoke with and received a letter from Hutterian Safety Council Chair David Tschetter.  In his letter, Mr. Tschetter pledged the full support of the Hutterian Safety Council, saying:

“The focus of the HSC has always been to simultaneously support the government and our communities. Regarding COVID-19, our task has been to ensure that Hutterites have the information they need to follow provincial public health orders for the safety of all citizens.  We recognize that, although many of our communities are falling in line, there are those who need extra support in order to achieve compliance.  The HSC stands at the ready to act in a supportive role to collaborate with you, the ministry, the health authority, and Hutterites to accomplish this.”

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