As of April 22, 2020, Saskatchewan has six new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 326.

Sixty-one of the cases are considered active. Nine more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 261.

Currently, there are five people in hospitals across the province. Four people are receiving inpatient care, while one person is in intensive care.

Of the 326 cases in the province:
• 136 cases are travellers;
• 135 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 32 have no known exposures; and
• 23 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 36 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 150 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 71 from the Regina area, 61 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 18 from the far north.
• 26 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 117 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 110 are in the 40-59 age range; 64 are in the 60-79 age range; and nine are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are males and 48 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 25,321 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Per capita, Saskatchewan’s testing rate of 21,428 tests per million population exceeds the national rate of 15,038 tests per million population.

Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of confirmed cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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

Seasonal Allergies vs. Respiratory Illness

Influenza season has passed in time for seasonal allergy season to begin. Many may begin to experience symptoms of headache, runny eyes and nose and congestion due to dust, pollen and snow mold. Before taking that antihistamine, compare your symptoms to those of COVID-19. These are respiratory symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

If you are unsure if your symptoms match, contact HealthLine 811 for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. Contact Healthline 811 or take the online self-assessment tool at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-self-assessment if you are experiencing even mild fever, cough or shortness of breath. You do not need to have travelled to get a referral for testing.

As of April 21, 2020, Saskatchewan has four new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 320.

Sixty-four of the cases are considered active. Fourteen more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 252.

Currently, there are five people in hospitals across the province. Four people are receiving inpatient care, while one person is in intensive care.

Of the 320 cases in the province:
• 135 cases are travellers;
• 134 are community contacts (mass gatherings included);
• 31 have no known exposures; and
• 20 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 35 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 150 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 71 from the Regina area, 60 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 13 from the far north.
• 25 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 116 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 107 are in the 40-59 age range; 63 are in the 60-79 age range; and nine are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are males and 48 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 24,811 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Saskatchewan continues to have the second highest rate of testing per capita among the provinces. Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of confirmed cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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

As of April 20, 2020, Saskatchewan has one new case of COVID-19, bringing the total to 316 reported cases. All cases are confirmed.

Seventy-four of the 316 reported cases are considered active.

Four more people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 238.

There are four people in hospital; including three who are receiving inpatient care and one person in intensive care.

Of the 316 cases in the province:
• 134 cases are travel related;
• 132 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings;
• 30 have no known exposures; and
• 20 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 35 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 149 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 70 from the Regina area, 60 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 11 from the far north.
• 24 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 114 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 106 are in the 40 to 59 age range; 63 are in the 60-79 age range; and nine are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are males and 48 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 24,412 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Saskatchewan continues to have the second highest rate of testing per capita among provinces that have reported. Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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

Maintain Your Distance as the Weather Warms

After a month of taking preventative measures, such as staying home and maintaining physical distancing, it will be tempting to get outside to enjoy the warmer temperatures forecasted for many areas across Saskatchewan over the coming days.

Please remember that all measures through the public health orders remain in effect to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Things to keep in mind when going outside:
• Maintain a distance of two metres from other people
• Avoid shared public surfaces
• Keep children away from group settings
• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds when returning home

Provincial parks remain closed. Check with local municipalities regarding playgrounds, as many communities, including Saskatoon and Regina, have closed playgrounds to prevent contact with equipment and commonly touched surfaces which may not be cleaned regularly.

As of April 19, 2020, Saskatchewan has two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 315 reported cases. The total number of cases still includes one presumptive case reported April 18.

Seventy-seven of the 315 reported cases are considered active.

The total number of recoveries remains at 234.

There are four people in hospital; including three who are receiving inpatient care and one person in intensive care.

Of the 315 cases in the province:
• 134 cases are travel related;
• 132 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings;
• 29 have no known exposures; and
• 20 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 35 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 149 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 70 from the Regina area, 59 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 11 from the far north.
• 24 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 114 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 106 are in the 40 to 59 age range; 63 are in the 60-79 age range; and eight are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are males and 48 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 23,909 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Saskatchewan continues to have the second highest rate of testing per capita among provinces that have reported. Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
 
Public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

As of April 18, 2020, Saskatchewan has three new confirmed cases and three new presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 313 reported cases.

Today’s numbers include the La Loche area cases tested to date that were referenced during the April 17 COVID-19 media availability by the Chief Medical Health Officer.

Seventy-five of the 313 reported cases are considered active.

Six more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 234.

There are five people in hospital; including four who are receiving inpatient care and one person in intensive care.

Of the 313 cases in the province:
• 134 cases are travel related;
• 132 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings;
• 29 have no known exposures; and
• 18 are under investigation by local public health.

Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 35 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 148 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 70 from the Regina area, 59 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 10 from the far north.
• 23 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 114 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 105 are in the 40 to 59 age range; 63 are in the 60-79 age range; and eight are in the 80-plus range.
• 52 per cent of the cases are males and 48 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.

To date, 23,092 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. Saskatchewan continues to have the second highest rate of testing per capita among provinces that have reported.

Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

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

Guidance for Drive-In or Remote Worship Services

Updated guidance has been issued for places of worship to engage with congregants, while following the public health order restricting gatherings to no more than 10 people.

Services may be delivered:
• Online (via Zoom, YouTube, etc.), as long as no more than 10 people are in the place of worship at one time and are strictly observing all social distancing protocols.
• As drive-in services where individuals remain in their vehicles with no contact between worshippers, and only individuals from the same household occupy the same vehicle.
• Drive-in services must be in designated parking lots or staging areas and also meet the following conditions:
o Event organizers need adequate measures to keep people from leaving their vehicles while at the service.
o Vehicles must be separated by at least two metres.
o Access to facilities, including washrooms, is discouraged. Where washroom access must be provided, provisions must be made to ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection throughout the event.
o Appropriate social distancing practices between persons who need to leave the vehicle to access washroom facilities is maintained at all times.
o No food or beverage service.
o All other services must be suspended including picnic areas and play areas.
o Anyone who is unwell or symptomatic must remain home.
o Event organizers are required to provide proposals and field questions to local public health officials to ensure the event does not risk transmission of COVID-19.