COVID-19 Update: 33 New Cases, Eight in Hospital, 16 Recoveries

Released on October 15, 2020

There are 33 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on October 15, bringing the total to 2,232 cases.  The new cases are located in the Far North West (3), Far North East (2), North Central (2), North East (2), Saskatoon (8), Central East (8), Regina (7) and South Central (1) zones. One case still has their location pending.

Of the 2,232 reported cases, 271 are considered active.  A total of 1,936 people have recovered.

Of the 33 new cases reported today, 25 are as a result of contact to known cases and/or gatherings.

Eight people are in hospital.  Six people are receiving inpatient care; four in the Saskatoon zone, one in the North West zone and one in the North Central zone.  Two people are in intensive care, one in Saskatoon and one in Regina.

Of the 2,232 cases in the province to date:

• 319 cases are travellers;
• 1,081 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 622 have no known exposures; and
• 210 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan to date:

• 78 cases are healthcare workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to healthcare in all instances.
• 386 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 751 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 673 are in the 40-59 age range; 351 are in the 60-79 age range; and 71 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• 25 deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
• There are:
  • 467 cases are from the south area (226 south west, 208 south central, 33 south east)
  • 462 cases are from the Saskatoon area
  • 384 cases are from the far north area (359 far north west, 0 far north central, 25 far north east)
  • 354 cases are from the north area (140 north west, 134 north central, 80 north east)
  • 323 cases are from the central area (187 central west, 136 central east)
  • 241 cases are from the Regina area

To date, 222,964 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan.  As of October 13, 2020 when other provincial and national numbers are available from Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 153,804 people tested per million population.  The national rate was 222,220 people tested per million population.

Yesterday, 2,305 COVID-19 tests were performed in Saskatchewan.

Weekly Reporting of Testing Numbers and Cases for Youth

Monitoring the trends of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children, the weekly report of cases and testing numbers for children aged 0-19 with data by age categories and testing positivity rates has been posted for the week of October 5-11 at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-Safe-Schools-Plan.  Reports will be published Thursdays.

Private Gathering Sizes Reduced Starting October 16

With the increasing rise in cases throughout Saskatchewan linked to public and private social gatherings, the Public Health order on gathering sizes in private residences is being amended so that the maximum allowable gathering size for private gatherings in the home will be 15.  This will be in effect as of Friday, October 16.

This will not impact restaurants, licensed establishments, banquet halls as well as weddings, funerals and religious gatherings which are all required to follow seating and physical distancing guidelines as described in the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/re-open-saskatchewan-plan. Any event that occurs in a private dwelling, including weddings, religious gathering and funerals, must abide by the 15 person gathering limit.

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 testing is available to anyone who requests it.  A referral for testing can be made by contacting HealthLine 811, your physician or nurse practitioner.  If you require urgent care, call 911.

Further information on testing is available at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.

General COVID-19 Information

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