Vaccines Reported
An additional 874 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 94,386.
The 874 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: North West (228), North Central (456), Saskatoon (141) and Regina (49).
As of March 10, 53 per cent of Phase 1 health care workers including long-term care and personal care home staff have received their first dose of vaccine.
For a listing of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-update.
Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 111 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on March 10, bringing the provincial total to 30,029 cases.
One Saskatchewan resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has died. This death was reported in the 80+ age group from the Regina zone.
The new cases are located in the Far North West (3), Far North East (4), North West (11), North East (8), Saskatoon (26), Central East (8) and Regina (41) zones. Ten (10) cases are pending residence information. Five cases have been reassigned to the North Central (4) and Regina (1) zones.
There are a total of 28,244 recoveries and 1,384 cases are considered active.
One hundred and thirty-nine (139) people are in hospital. One hundred and twelve (112) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (2), Far North East (1), North West (10), North Central (10), North East (2), Saskatoon (44), Central East (4), Regina (37) and South East (2). Twenty-seven (27) people are in intensive care: North West (1), Saskatoon (12), Central East (2) and Regina (12).
There were 2,399 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 9, 2021.
To date, 600,142 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of March 8, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 504,763 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 667,070 tests performed per million population.
The seven-day average of daily new cases is 139 (11.4 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available on the Government of Saskatchewan website. Please visit https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.
Further statistics on the total number of cases among healthcare workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date and the per capita testing rate can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website. Please visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/cases-and-risk-of-covid-19-in-saskatchewan.
COVID-19 Variant Cases Update
As of March 10, an additional 26 cases of the B1.1.7 UK variant of concern have been detected in the Regina zone. These cases include sequencing results received from the National Microbiology Laboratory on samples collected between February 12 and 20, and from the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory on cases confirmed between February 2 and 28.
This brings the provincial total of confirmed variant of concern cases to 70: 64 B1.1.7 UK and six B1.351 SA. The current number of variants of concern in the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/cases-and-risk-of-covid-19-in-saskatchewan
The best protection against all COVID-19 variants remains the same as protection against COVID-19: stay home, physically distance, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask and get tested if you are experiencing even mild symptoms.
Find testing options near you at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.
Variants of Concern Results Available on Patient Record
As of March 10, 2021 all positive COVID-19 cases will have a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) test performed to screen for a mutation which is common to all three variants of concern (VOC) and all positive SNP results will be reported on the patient record available at MySaskHealthRecord.
VOCs are confirmed through whole genome sequencing where the genetic code of the virus is analyzed on a confirmed case sample to determine all the different mutations present. The Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory can also screen for VOCs using a SNP analysis which looks for a common mutation associated with all three VOCs.
SNP tests are faster and will be done on all positive tests with results within 24 hours, once a COVID-19 positive sample is identified or received at the testing laboratory. A positive result on a SNP test will be considered presumptively positive while whole genome sequencing is completed to determine the VOC type, which takes about a week.
Once a VOC is confirmed through whole genome sequencing, it will be included in public reporting at Saskatchewan.ca.
Enforcing Public Health Measures
Enforcement of public health orders is permitted under The Public Health Act, 1994. Public health inspectors will be supported in their efforts to ticket violators to ensure that businesses and events are brought into compliance as quickly as possible, in addition to the enforcement efforts that have been undertaken by police agencies throughout the province.
For more information on the current public health measures or to see the Public Health Order, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-measures.
General COVID-19 Information
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.
Know your risk. Keep yourself and others safe. www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.
Vaccine Booking System Opening to Seniors 85+ on March 11
Beginning March 11 at 8 a.m., residents ages 85 and overfrom across the province will be able to book their COVID-19 vaccine appointment online or over the phone.
“The launch of the new patient booking system is a huge step forward in our efforts to get faster and more efficient at delivering COVID-19 vaccines,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said. “Booking your appointment online will only take a few minutes, making things simple and fast for those who are scheduling their appointments.”
Users who aren’t comfortable with, or don’t have access to technology can book by phone. Family and friends who aren’t yet eligible can also book on behalf of someone who is eligible.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) new online booking system can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-vaccine, and will also indicate which age category is currently eligible for appointments. It is also mobile friendly. Alternatively, patients can speak by phone to a booking agent for help with their appointment. The Vaccine Call Centre operates 8 am to 11 pm, 7 days per week and can be accessed by calling 1-833-SASK-VAX (1-833-727-5829).
To book an appointment using the new online system, you will need:
- a valid health card; and
- a cell phone number or email address where notifications will be sent.
To ensure a positive experience for everyone and better align demand with vaccine supply, the SHA is opening up online booking initially to only a targeted age group: 85 years of age and older. In the coming days based on an available supply of vaccine, the SHA will announce further age groups eligible to book their appointments.
It is critical that residents that are currently not eligible do not call the phone line or attempt to book through this process at this time. Doing so will unnecessarily stress critical infrastructure needed for these services and could result in delays getting eligible recipients immunized.
All appointments available will be shown in the online booking system. The Vaccine Call Centre will not have access to more appointments than what patients can see online. Vaccine supply in this initial phase will not allow all clinics planned for Phase Two of the Immunization program to be open, so please be aware that clinic locations/availability in your area may be limited.
Once the online booking system is operational, SHA will be phasing out the existing process of direct phone-calls to eligible individuals. Eligible patients should go to the new booking system and not wait for a phone call.
The system is designed to verify a person’s eligibility as their appointment is booked. Identification is also required when you arrive for your appointment, to ensure vaccination of the same person who was registered online. Any instances of providing false information in an attempt to ‘jump the queue’ are taken seriously, and may result in a criminal investigation.
Only those eligible will be able to receive an appointment; if you are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine, you will be asked to visit again once you become eligible. At this time booking is available for first doses only. Current COVID vaccination prioritization and sequencing, along with other vaccine-related information, can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-vaccine.
The online booking system was designed to be a safe and secure online experience, meeting all Saskatchewan Health Authority security standards, policies and controls. Data is stored securely in Canadian data centres and is subject to Canadian data security laws.
“Despite being under unprecedented pressures, our health care workers keep finding ways to serve our patients and residents better,” Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone said. “This is one more tool in our toolbox that will not only help us deliver COVID-19 vaccines quicker and more effectively, it is a system we can build on after the pandemic to create more seamless access for our patients to the services they rely on.”