Stick it to COVID: More than 15 Million Rapid Tests Distributed

Released on February 1, 2022

Saskatchewan has now distributed more than 15 million rapid antigen tests.  This includes more than seven million to public distribution centres around the province, two million to schools and 1.5 million to Indigenous Services Canada and the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority. 

Currently, there are four million tests scheduled to arrive in the province in February.

Free rapid antigen tests are available at approximately 600 locations around the province at this time.  All residents should be self-monitoring, self-testing and self-managing to help prevent transmission, given the transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

Public Health Orders Will Be Enforced

For the week of January 24, the provincial COVID enforcement team issued a number of summary office tickets for failure to abide by the current public health orders:

• Prairie Pride Motel Bar and Grill, Maple Creek received a $14,000 fine for failure to check for proof of vaccination or a negative test (restaurant)
• Nine individual fines of $2,800 for failure to mask were issued to individuals in Estevan (two), Grenfell, Fort Qu'Appelle, Maple Creek (two), Leader, Wynyard and Hudson Bay. 

Note that under The Health Information and Privacy Act, the Ministry of Health cannot disclose the names of individuals who have received fines.

COVID-19 Summary for February 1, 2022:

• From January 26 - February 1, 11,689 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of primary series vaccines administered in the province to 1,859,978. 
• An additional 18,360 third and fourth doses have been administered in the province from January 26 - February 1, bringing the total number of vaccines including boosters administered in the province to 2,325,135.  Forty-nine per cent of eligible residents age 18+ have now received their booster dose.
• As of February 1, 89 per cent of residents 12 years and older and 85 per cent of residents five years older have received their first dose.  Eighty-five per cent of residents 12 years and older and 79 per cent of residents five years and older are fully vaccinated.
• There were 7,736 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan from January 26 - February 1, bringing the provincial total to 119,272 cases.  There were 9,091 recoveries recorded during the same period.
• The Government of Saskatchewan continues to monitor case trends in the province, noting the new case rate decreased from 104.5/100,000 for the week ending January 24 to 91.7/100,000 for the week ending January 31.
• The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan is currently 1,105 (91.7/100,000).
• Sixteen new deaths were reported January 26 - February 1.
• There were 170 new lineage results reported for January 26 - February 1.
• As of February 1, 370 individuals are hospitalized including 331 inpatient hospitalizations and 39 ICU hospitalizations. Of the 370 patients, 114 (30.8 per cent) were not fully vaccinated.
• Since October 25, 146 monoclonal antibody infusion treatments have been delivered.
• Since January 26, 14 Paxlovid treatment courses have been dispensed.
• From January 26 - February 1, there were 22,579 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan.

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For more information, contact:

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