COVID-19 Update For June 16: 922,335 Vaccines Administered, 74 New Cases, 76 Recoveries, Two New Deaths

Released on June 16, 2021

Vaccines Reported

An additional 12,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 922,335.

The 12,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 151; Far North Central, 3; Far North East, 246; North West, 743; North Central, 805; North East, 206; Saskatoon, 3,245; Central West, 318; Central East, 568; Regina, 3,542; South West, 253; South Central, 1,030; and South East, 633.  There were 270 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-nine per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose. Seventy-four per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty-nine per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose, while sixty-seven per cent of those 12+ have also received their first dose.

Note: Age is calculated on the date of the most recent dose.  Someone age 69 at their first dose and 70 at their second will now be counted in the 70-79 group for both doses, resulting in a decrease in the 60-69 first dose number. 

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Second Doses Available to 50+, Drops to Age 45+ Tomorrow

Effective tomorrow at 8 am, second dose vaccination eligibility will open to residents age 45+ or anyone who received their first dose on or before May 1. 

Currently, all residents 12+ can receive their first dose and second dose vaccinations are open to residents 50+ or anyone who received their first dose on or before April 15.  Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose. 

Second doses are also available in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District to all residents 18+, based on the product's recommended interval from their first dose.

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose.  Residents who meet at least one of these criteria are eligible for their second dose.  

When all persons 12 and older become eligible to receive their second doses starting June 24, vaccinations will be provided based on the manufacturer interval.  For Moderna, this is 28 days after first dose.  For Pfizer, this is 21 days after first dose.  Note that residents may receive their second doses up to four months following their first dose but it's highly recommended that you receive your second dose as soon as you are eligible.  

A limited number of first doses of AstraZeneca have been administered since May 5 to those individuals who have contraindication for mRNA vaccines.  If you received AstraZeneca as recommended by your health care provider after May 5, arrangements will be made to administer your second dose based on current, recommended intervals.

Remember that while one dose of COVID-19 vaccine provides good protection against transmission, two doses are required for optimal protection, particularly against the Delta variant.  Please receive your second dose as soon as you are eligible and maintain all public health measures until at least two weeks after your second dose.

Vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

As the SHA is encouraging first dose vaccinations, please review clinic information carefully to ensure you are selecting the right clinic for you. 

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.  If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received. 

During your second-dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 74 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on June 16, bringing the provincial total to 48,125 cases. 

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 1; North West, 4; North Central, 5; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 16; Central West, 4; Central East, 6; Regina, 29; South West, 1; South Central, 1; and South East, 3.  

Nine residents tested out of province were added to the Far North East, 2; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 3; South Central, 1; and South East, 1, zones. One case is pending residence information.  One case deemed to be an out-of-province resident was removed from the Far North East count.

Two news deaths were reported today.  One death was reported in the 80+ age group from the North West Zone and one death was reported in the 70 to 79 age group from the Central East zone.

Recoveries total 46,837 and 726 cases are considered active.

There are 92 people in hospital.  Eighty people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 10; North Central, 8; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 28; Central East, 4; Regina, 22; South West, 2; South Central, 3; and South East; 2.  Twelve people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 1; Saskatoon, 6; and Regina, 4. 

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 72 (5.9 per 100,000).  This is the lowest seven-day average since November 1, 2020.  A chart comparing today's average to data collected over the past several months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 2,140 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on June 15, 2021.

To date, 893,330 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of June 14, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 751,913 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 942,784.

As of June 15, 11,787 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 286; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 80; North West, 754; North Central, 594; North East, 79; Saskatoon, 2,037; Central West, 129; Central East, 631; Regina, 4,747; South West, 398; South Central, 870; and South East, 1,113.  There are 68 screened VOCs with residence pending.

New lineage results were reported for five Variants of Concern today.  Of the 6,443 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 6,134 are Alpha (B.1.1.7), 231 are Gamma (P.1), 68 are Delta (B.1.617.2) and 10 are Beta (B.1.351).

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.

It may not be allergies or a cold.  Get tested for COVID-19.

Fever? Cough and headache? Fatigued or experiencing shortness of breath?  Do not "tough it out" or assume it's allergies.  Stay home and seek a COVID-19 test.  Testing remains one of the most important tools to limiting the spread of COVID-19 in your community.  Even if you have been recently vaccinated, it can take up to three weeks for your immune system to respond.  Vaccines are not a cure preventing all possible transmission and you remain at risk of contracting COVID-19 during that time. 

COVID-19 testing is available to all residents.  You can still receive a referral for COVID-19 testing through HealthLine 811 or a health care provider, and drive-thru testing sites are available without a referral seven days a week in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert.  Information on symptoms to watch for and how to get tested is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.

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