COVID-19 Update For April 26: 403,384 Vaccines Administered, 245 New Cases, 221 Recoveries, One New Death

Released on April 26, 2021

Vaccines Reported

An additional 3,639 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 403,384. 

The 3,639 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following regions: Far North West (10), Far North Central (30), Far North East (3), North West (440), North Central (452), North East (23), Saskatoon (1,704), Central West (20), Central East (86), Regina (411), South West (60), South Central (54) and South East (210).  There were 136 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Fifty-seven per cent of Saskatchewan residents over age 40 have received their first dose.  Thirty-eight per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.  As the source database for vaccine information, Panorama is subject to continuous data updates which may result in revised counts, day over day.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 44+

Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program is currently age 44 and older, except for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, where it remains age 40 and older.  This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-in and mobile.

Please remember that demand for appointments outweighs current available supply.  Additional clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Appointments can be made online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19. People who do not have a cell phone or email account, need assistance in booking, or are providing documentation for priority eligibility status must book by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Once COVID-19 vaccine eligibility has been opened to all residents ages 40 and over, remaining prioritized front-line workers (including dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, teachers, correctional staff and border security officers) will also become eligible.  Details on how these groups can book appointments will be provided later this week.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

Pharmacy Vaccination Pilot Project

Appointments may be available at select pharmacies in 14 Saskatchewan communities scheduled to start receiving vaccine on April 29 as part of a pilot program to offer COVID-19 vaccinations.  The list of pharmacies participating in the pilot is now available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.

This is a small-scale rollout to refine distribution and vaccination processes so appointments may be limited and may include staff working in participating pharmacies and stores housing those pharmacies that are eligible for vaccination.  All pharmacies will be providing vaccinations based on age groups and populations who are eligible on the day the appointment is booked.

Additional pharmacies in more communities will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available in the coming weeks.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 245 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on April 26, bringing the provincial total to 40,177 cases.

There is one (1) new death reported in the 60 to 69 age group in the Far North West zone.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (10), North West (17), North Central (9), North East (1), Saskatoon (39), Central West (4), Central East (20), Regina (80), South West (8), South Central (32) and South East (25) zones.  Two (2) cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the North West (1) and Regina (1) zones.

Recoveries total 37,163 and 2,538 cases are considered active.

There are 187 people in hospital.  One hundred and forty-two (142) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North East (1), North West (6), North Central (7), Saskatoon (52), Central East (6), Regina (58), South West (1), South Central (4) and South East (7).  Forty-five (45) people are in intensive care: North West (2), North Central (2), Saskatoon (11), Central East (3) and Regina (27).

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 251 (20.5 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today's average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,122 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on April 25, 2021.

To date, 756,301 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.   As of April 24, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 634,847 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 810,657.

As of April 25, 6,204 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the Far North West (85), Far North East (2), North West (156), North Central (91), North East (12), Saskatoon (639), Central West (79), Central East (266), Regina (3,511), South West (172), South Central (472) and South East (644) zones. There are 75 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are zero new lineage results reported today. Of the 2,152 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 2,138 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), nine (9) are B.1.351 (SA) and five (5) are P.1. (Brazilian).  The Regina zone accounts for 1,510 (70 per cent) of the VOC cases with confirmed lineage reported in Saskatchewan.

Please note that these VOCs may have been initially identified by means other than screening (i.e. selection for whole genome sequencing without screening).  Whole genome sequencing results to identify lineage are included in the screening results.  Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

All Public Health Measures Extended to May 10

Due to increased COVID-19 transmission risk throughout the province, the Chief Medical Health Officer has extended all current provincial public health orders until May 10, 2021.  The orders will be reviewed at that time.  Full details on current public health measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.  

All residents are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures:

• Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces.
• Wash non-medical masks daily.
• Maintain physical distancing.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Reduce activities outside of your home.  Order take-out or curbside pick-up.  Work from home if you are able to do so.
• Avoid all unnecessary travel throughout the province at this time.

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test.  If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known.  Testing information is available at 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.

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.

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For more information, contact:

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