A record-high daily number of COVID-19 cases is being reported on Saturday.
308 cases are being announced along with 43 recoveries to bring the active case count to 1,691 with 57 people now in hospital which is the highest figure we have seen since the pandemic started in March. The previous high had been set on November 9 when there were 190.
The new cases are located in the Far North West (26), Far North Central (8), Far North East (16), North West (23), North Central (30), North East (30), Saskatoon (123), Central West (7), Central East (7), Regina (20), South West (2), South Central (3) and South East (3) zones and 10 new cases have pending residence information.
The high number of reported cases is due in part to the snowstorm early in the week, which resulted in fewer people going for testing, and some delays in getting samples from remote locations to the provincial labs. Although the Ministry of Health expects to see higher and lower-case numbers daily which will average out, there is an upward trend in positive case numbers.
Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab is reminding residents of Saskatchewan to get back to the basics.
“Today’s record high case numbers are a reminder that the spread of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan is higher now than it has even been throughout Saskatchewan including urban, rural, Northern and First Nations areas and that we all need to redouble our efforts to protect ourselves and others,” Shahab said. “Wear a mask, limit your number of personal contacts, limit your number of visitors from outside your household, don’t leave home if you are feeling sick, and make sure you’re always physically distancing and washing your hands often. We all need to do our part to limit the spread.”
57 people are in hospital. 41 people are receiving inpatient care; one in the Far North West, one in the Far North East, four in the North West, four in North Central, four in the North East, 22 in Saskatoon, one in Regina, one in the South West and 3 in South East zone. Sixteen people are in intensive care; one in the North West, three in North Central, eight in Saskatoon, two in Central East and two in Regina.
3,665 tests were processed Friday bringing the provincial total to 294,737
