Saskatchewan added two coronavirus-related deaths for a total of 393, the provincial government said on Friday.
One of the recently deceased who tested positive for COVID-19 was reported to be in their 60s from the Regina zone and the other was in the 80-plus age group from Saskatoon, according to a press release.
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According to the government on Friday, there were 207 new cases with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 29,432. The new seven-day average of daily cases is up from 148 to 155, day-over-day.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 138 patients with COVID-19 — 118 are receiving inpatient care and 20 are in intensive care. This is the lowest number of hospitalizations reported so far this year.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,507 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
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The number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to a total of 27,532 following 125 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 3,289 COVID-19 tests were performed on Thursday. To date, 589,109 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 27,945 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.
Health Canada approved Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine on Friday morning. The Saskatchewan government said shipment dates and quantities are not yet available.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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