COVID-19 Update: One New Case, 25 More Recoveries, Eight In Hospital

Released on May 16, 2020

As of May 16, 2020, Saskatchewan has one new confirmed case of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 591.

The new case is in the Saskatoon region.  Of the 591 reported cases, 152 are considered active.

Twenty-five more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 433.

There are currently eight people in hospital – five are receiving inpatient care (one in the North, two in Saskatoon and two in Regina) and three are in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).

Hospitalizations are counted under the location of the hospitalization, not the patient’s residence.  Active cases are included in the number for their region of residence.

Of the 591 cases in the province:

• 139 cases are travellers;
• 320 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 68 have no known exposures; and
• 64 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:

• 48 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 218 of the cases are from the Far North, 164 are from the Saskatoon area, 106 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South and 12 from the Central region.
• 83 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 209 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 182 are in the 40-59 age range; 99 are in the 60-79 age range; and 18 are in the 80-plus range.
• 49 per cent of the cases are females and 51 per cent are males.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 40,097 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.  As of May 14, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 30,726 people tested per million population, which is slightly below the national rate of 32,802 people tested per million population.  This is due to decreased demand for testing, not a drop in testing capacity, due to the success of preventative measures and the reduction in positive cases in many areas of the province.

Regina Case Investigation

An investigation has concluded that the COVID-19 case admitted to Pasqua Hospital is a community-acquired case and does not constitute a hospital outbreak.

Thus far, all testing of staff and contacts are negative.

Appropriate precautions continue within the Pasqua Hospital, as health care staff work diligently to care for Saskatchewan residents while helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.

If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19.  You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. 

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