As of May 2, 2020, Saskatchewan has six new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 421.
Four of the new cases are in the North (two in the Lloydminster area and two in the Prince Albert area), one is in the Saskatoon area and one is in the Regina area.

Please note that there are eight locally identified presumptive positive cases from the La Loche area. These cases are not yet being reported by the RRPL, so are not yet included in the total figures reported today.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has advised of an outbreak in Beauval. A contact tracing investigation is underway.

Of the 421 reported cases, 113 are considered active. Five more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 302.

There are currently 12 people in hospital; 10 are receiving inpatient care (five in the North region and five in Saskatoon) and two are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 421 cases in the province:

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

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 42 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 157 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 85 from the north, 76 from the Regina area, 77 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 39 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 153 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 140 are in the 40-59 age range; 75 are in the 60-79 age range; and 14 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, 30,845 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 30, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 24,196 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 22,140 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 1, 2020, Saskatchewan has 26 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 415.
Nineteen of the new cases are in the Far North (La Loche and surrounding area), four are in the North (three in Lloydminster) and three are in the Saskatoon area.

While there is only one COVID-19 positive case involving a patient at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert, an outbreak has been declared at the hospital. Contact tracing and investigation is underway to ensure all contacts are identified and testing has been completed on all known contacts.

Of the 415 reported cases, 112 are considered active. Two more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 297.

There are currently 10 people in hospital; seven are receiving inpatient care (four in the North region and three in Saskatoon) and three are in intensive care (in Saskatoon).

Of the 415 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 163 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 38 have no known exposures; and
• 76 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 40 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 156 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 81 from the north, 75 from the Regina area, 77 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 39 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 151 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 139 are in the 40-59 age range; 73 are in the 60-79 age range; and 13 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, 30,357 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 29, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 23,658 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 20,971 people tested per million population.

Information on Critical Travel in the North

The Ministry of Health recommends proper road travel etiquette for critical travel in the North to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The only people who should be travelling to the North are people returning to their primary residence, and people going to La Ronge or Stoney Rapids. No one should be stopping in between communities or travelling between them.

The following measures should also be observed:
• Limit outings to one person per household, or limit the occupants in a vehicle only to members of the same household.
• Carpooling or ride sharing should be discontinued wherever possible. If carpooling must occur, physical distancing should be maintained as much as possible. This may include having people sit in the back.
• Everyone in the vehicle must wash their hands frequently and practice good respiratory etiquette (cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue or your arm). Consider wearing a cloth or surgical mask when unable to maintain two metre distance from non-family members.
• Stay home. Do not travel or share a vehicle if you are ill or have symptoms of COVID-19.
• People may travel to the closest community of their primary home to buy essential goods and services that are not available in their home community.
• Follow physical distancing directions provided by the grocery store. Keep a distance of two metres from other customers, even in the checkout line.
• Do not go shopping if you are sick or symptomatic. Make use of community or delivery services where possible.

Communities without grocery stores are encouraged to create bulk purchasing plans with its members in order to limit travel. Communities should also work with their regional partners to facilitate efficient critical travel to and from hubs for items such as groceries and medication.

Shoppers should contact stores prior to visiting in case there are customer limits.

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 April 30, 2020, Saskatchewan has six new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 389.
Three of the new cases are from the north region (two in Lloydminster), two from the Saskatoon area and one from the far north (La Loche).

Eighty-eight of the cases are considered active. Four more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 295.

Currently, there are 10 people in hospital – seven are receiving inpatient care (four in Lloydminster and three in Saskatoon), while three are in intensive care (Saskatoon).

Of the 389 cases in the province:
• 137 cases are travellers;
• 159 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 36 have no known exposures; and
• 57 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 39 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 153 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 77 from the north, 75 from the Regina area, 58 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 35 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 141 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 131 are in the 40-59 age range; 70 are in the 60-79 age range; and 12 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, 29,642 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 28, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 23,269 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 20,176 people tested per million population.

Take Precautions when Forming an Extended Household Group

With extreme caution and under the following conditions, one or two close families may form an extended household group:
• Your families or friends must remain consistent. Do not visit different families or friends.
• If you are going to create an extended household group, consider if any member of the group has chronic health conditions that would put them at greater risk, or if they are in close contact with someone who could be vulnerable.
• Gatherings – inside or outside – must follow the public health order and be no more than 10 people.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Maintain physical distancing by keeping two-metres apart.

You should always be aware of who you have been in contact with over the past two weeks. These are the people who would need to be contacted by public health if you were to test positive for COVID-19.

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.

A Saskatchewan resident in their 80s from the far north region has died from complications related to COVID-19. There are now six deaths in the province as a result of being infected with the virus.

As of April 29, 2020, Saskatchewan has 17 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 383. Eleven of the new cases are from the far north (La Loche), five from the north region (four in Lloydminster) and one from the Saskatoon area.

Eighty-six of the cases are considered active. Recoveries remain at 291.

Currently, there are 10 people in hospital – seven are receiving inpatient care (four in Lloydminster and three in Saskatoon), while three are in intensive care (Saskatoon).

Of the 383 cases in the province:
• 137 cases are travellers;
• 154 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 35 have no known exposures; and
• 57 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 38 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 151 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 75 from the Regina area, 74 from the north, 57 from the far north, 15 from the south, and 11 from the central region.
• 34 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 140 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 129 are in the 40-59 age range; 69 are in the 60-79 age range; and 11 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, 29,106 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 27, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 22,917 people tested per million population, which exceeds the national rate of 19,709 people tested per million population.

Cluster Identified in Lloydminster

The new COVID-19 cases in Lloydminster have been linked to a cluster based in Lloydminster Hospital. Thirteen cases have been identified, including five health care workers and eight patients, and transmission has occurred in the hospital setting.

As of April 29, 2020, the patients are being co-horted in separate units in Lloydminster Hospital. COVID-19 patients will still be admitted to Lloydminster Hospital. Non-COVID-19 patients requiring admission may be diverted to another hospital. Key emergency department, emergency surgical and obstetrical services remain available at Lloydminster Hospital.

That is subject to change based on the ongoing risk assessment by public health. All health care workers who have been identified as close contacts with a confirmed case are being tested as the contact investigation continues.

Mass Gatherings Not Allowed – Even with Physical Distancing

A couple of mass-gathering events were recently held in Saskatchewan where organizers mistakenly believed that gatherings were allowed as long as attendees maintained two metres of separation. However, these types of group events are not allowed – whether or not people practise physical distancing. Any gatherings that exceed 10 people are in violation of the current public health order.

Saskatchewan residents must continue to take measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. This includes limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people – inside and outside – within an extended household group only and maintaining a minimum distance of two metres between people.

With extreme caution and under the following conditions, one or two close families may form an extended household group:
• Your families or friends must remain consistent. Do not visit different families or friends every day.
• If you are going to create an extended household group, consider if any member of the group has chronic health conditions that would put them at greater risk, or if they are in close contact with someone who could be vulnerable.
• Gatherings must follow the public health order and be no more than 10 people.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Maintain physical distancing by keeping two-metres apart.

You should always be aware of who you have been in contact with over the past two weeks. These are the people who would need to be contacted by public health if you were to test positive for COVID-19.

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.