As of May 6, 2020, Saskatchewan has 25 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 512.

Twenty-four of the new cases are in the Far North with 22 of those being in La Loche, while the remaining one is in the Saskatoon region. Of the 512 reported cases, 194 are considered active.

Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 312.

There are currently 13 people in hospital – nine are receiving inpatient care (two in the North and seven in Saskatoon) and four are in intensive care (three in Saskatoon and one in the North).

Of the 512 cases in the province:
• 139 cases are travellers;
• 204 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 45 have no known exposures; and
• 124 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 43 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 163 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 152 from the Far North, 95 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South and 11 from the Central region.
• 66 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 182 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 159 are in the 40-59 age range; 90 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are females and 50 per cent are males.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 33,591 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 3, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 26,109 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 25,024 people tested per million population.
 
Outbreak declared at Meadow Lake Hospital

The Saskatchewan Health Authority presently has one confirmed COVID-19 case of a staff member at the Meadow Lake Hospital. This case at the hospital was linked to community-transmission. To date, no patients have presented with symptoms of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 positive staff member and close contacts to the confirmed case are on self-isolation and additional contact tracing is underway.

At this time there are no service disruptions at Meadow Lake Hospital. Key emergency department, emergency surgical and obstetrical services remain available. That is subject to change based on the ongoing risk assessment by public health and Meadow Lake Hospital management.

Northern Travel Restrictions Amended

At the request of the communities of Stony Rapids and La Ronge and in consultation with local public health officials, the public health order restricting non-essential travel in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District will be amended to include those communities effective May 6, 2020. These measures will assist in ensuring that only essential travel happens through the north, supporting measures to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19.

If you are experiencing even mild symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

As of May 5, 2020, Saskatchewan has 20 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 487.

Eighteen of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), while the remaining two are in the North region. Of the 487 reported cases, 171 are considered active.

Three more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 310.

There are currently 13 people in hospital – nine are receiving inpatient care (two in the North and seven in Saskatoon) and four are in intensive care (three in Saskatoon and one in the North).

Of the 487 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 184 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 41 have no known exposures; and
• 124 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 43 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 162 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 128 from the Far North, 95 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South and 11 from the Central region.
• 58 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 174 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 153 are in the 40-59 age range; 87 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 32,921 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 3, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 25,689 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 24,460 people tested per million population.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

As of May 4, 2020, Saskatchewan has 34 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 467.

Twenty-nine of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), four of the new cases are in the North and one is in the Saskatoon area.

The locally reported presumptive positive cases noted on May 2 have now been confirmed and are accounted for in the total number of cases.

Of the 467 reported cases, 154 are considered active. Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 307.

There are currently 11 people in hospital; seven are receiving inpatient care (two in the North region and five in Saskatoon) and four are in intensive care (three in Saskatoon and one in the North).

Of the 467 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 182 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 40 have no known exposures; and
• 107 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 43 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 162 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 110 from the Far North, 93 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 15 from the South, and 11 from the Central region.
• 51 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 167 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 152 are in the 40-59 age range; 82 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 49 per cent of the cases are males and 51 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 32,334 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 2, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 25,116 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 23,770 people tested per million population.

Re-Open Saskatchewan

Phase 1 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan begins today.

It allows public access to previously restricted medical services and provides specific guidelines related to parks and campgrounds, boat launches, fishing and golf courses.

A Public Health Order (https://www.saskatchewan.ca/-/media/files/coronavirus/public-health-measures/public-health-orders/order-may-3-2020-re-open-sk.pdf) is in place for Phase 1 of the plan.

Residents should remember that measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 must continue:
• Public and private gatherings are still limited to no more than 10 people.
• Continue physical distancing of two metres.
• People planning to form an extended household group with one or two families and friends should exercise extreme caution. The limit on gathering sizes still applies.
• Businesses that are not a critical public service or an allowable business listed on www.saskatchewan.ca remain closed.

The staged lifting of restrictions does not apply to the communities of La Loche and Lloydminster, which are currently managing outbreaks of COVID-19 cases.

Mental Health Week

May 4 to 10, 2020 is national Mental Health Week.

With the ongoing pandemic, many families and individuals are feeling additional strain. The Government of Canada has launched a new portal dedicated to mental wellness, Wellness Together Canada (https://ca.portal.gs/) to help provide support.

Additional support in Saskatchewan during this difficult time can be found at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/mental-health-and-covid-19#mental-health.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

As of May 3, 2020, Saskatchewan has 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 433.

Four of the new cases are in the North, four of the new cases are in the Far North and four are in the Saskatoon area. Several tests from the locally identified cases noted May 2 in the La Loche area are still pending. These cases are not yet recorded in the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory daily summaries, and so are not yet included in the total figures reported today.

Of the 433 reported cases, 122 are considered active. Three more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 305.

There are currently 14 people in hospital; 11 are receiving inpatient care (five in the North region and six in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 433 cases in the province:

• 138 cases are travellers;
• 176 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 40 have no known exposures; and
• 79 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 42 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 161 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 89 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 81 from the Far North, 15 from the South, and 11 from the Central region.
• 40 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 159 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 141 are in the 40-59 age range; 78 are in the 60-79 age range; and 15 are in the 80-plus range.
• 50 per cent of the cases are males and 50 per cent are females.
• Six deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 31,572 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 1, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 24,562 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 22,934 people tested per million population.

If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.