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COVID-19 Update for March 17: 112,764 Vaccines Administered, 87 New Cases, 114 Recoveries, One New Death

Vaccines Reported

An additional 4,096 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 112,764.

The 4,096 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered in the following regions: Far North West (21), Far North East (62), Far North Central (10), North East (133), North West (576), North Central (50), Saskatoon (635), Central East (11), Central West (131), Regina (2,392), and South West (75).  Of the doses administered March 16, 1,878 were delivered at the Regina drive thru clinic location alone.  

For a listing of first and second doses in Saskatchewan administered by geographic zone, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-update.

On March 16, a total of 20,197 appointments were booked using the new appointment systems: 13,246 online and 6,951 by telephone.

Phase One Priority Populations – Book Your Appointments

Because of the successful start to the Saskatchewan Health Authority vaccine booking system, Saskatchewan will be moving into Phase Two (under age 70) sooner than expected. 

Those residents over the age of 70 who have not yet made their vaccination appointment are encouraged to book today.  Appointments are still available over the next two weeks, before the end of March. Once eligible, you are always eligible, but we want to ensure those at highest risk get their vaccination while they are prioritized in Phase One. 

Residents 50-69 years of age in the Northern Administrative District can only book their appointments by phone at this time.  Call 1-833-SASKVAX (1-833-727-5829) between 8 am and 11pm.  Northern residents 70+ can utilize either the online or telephone booking system.  A map of the Northern Administrative District is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/business/first-nations-metis-and-northern-community-businesses/economic-development/northern-administration-district.

Additional information on eligibility and how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccine-booking.

Drive-thru Vaccination Clinic in Regina for Residents 60-64 Years

The drive-thru immunization clinic in Regina is available to residents aged 60-64. The drive-thru clinic is located on the grounds of the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (Lewvan Drive and 11th Avenue) and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for the eligible age group.  You cannot pre-book an appointment for the drive-thru clinic.

It is anticipated that this age range will continue to expand rapidly, and eligible residents are asked to check the website regularly for the latest: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 87 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on March 17, bringing the provincial total to 30,970 cases.

One Saskatchewan resident who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.  The death was reported in the 80+ age group from the North West zone.

The new cases are located in the Far North West (2), Far North East (5), North West (5), North Central (1), North East (8), Saskatoon (20), Central East (7), Regina (27), South West (1), South Central (2) and South East (5) zones.  Four (4) new cases are pending residence information.  Six (6) cases with pending residence information were assigned to the North Central (5) and Regina (1) zones.

There are a total of 29,296 recoveries and 1,264 cases are considered active.  

One hundred thirty-nine (139) people are in hospital.  One hundred and eight (108) people are receiving inpatient care: Far North West (2), Far North East (1), North West (6), North Central (5), Saskatoon (42), Central East (7), Regina (42), South West (1), South Central (1) and South East (1).  Thirty-one (31) people are in intensive care: North West (1), Saskatoon (15), Central East (3), Regina (11) and South Central (1).

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 135 (11.0 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.

There were 2,597 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 16, 2021. 

To date, 617,664 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of March 15, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 518,962 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 685,923 tests performed per million population.

Through a partnership with the SHA and CanCOGeN, funding of more than $333,000 has been provided for additional equipment, and specimen and reagent storage at the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (RRPL).  This enabled the RRPL to add additional testing capacity for variants of concern (VOC).

As of March 17, there are no new confirmed variants of concern (VOC) cases to report.  There are 135 confirmed variants of concern cases in Saskatchewan: 129 B1.1.1.7 (UK) and six B1.351 (SA). One previously reported B1.1.1.7 (UK) variant case was identified as a duplicate and removed.  The Regina zone accounts for 121 (or 90 per cent) of the confirmed VOC cases reported in Saskatchewan.

In addition to the confirmed cases, there are currently 313 presumptive VOC cases reported in the Far North East (1), Saskatoon (6), Central East (5), Regina (264), South Central (23) and South East (14) zones.

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, the per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern 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.

Stay Safe on St. Patrick’s Day

  • Support local eateries with take-out and curbside pick-up.
  • Take your gathering outside.  Up to 10 individuals may gather outside with appropriate distancing and no sharing of food or drink.
  • Stick to one venue/location.
  • All restaurants and licensed establishments must continue to follow the guidelines at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-establishments.  

For residents in Regina and the surrounding area, please take extra precautions: it is highly recommended indoor gatherings continue to be with immediate household only at this time, and opt for take-out and curbside pick-up.

Act to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission in Regina

There is an elevated risk of COVID-19 in Regina due to community transmission of variants of concern.

It is recommended that Regina and area residents – particularly those over age 50 – should not consider increasing their household bubbles to include 2-3 households up to 10 people.  They should consider remaining with their current household only.

While worship services throughout the province will be able to expand to 30 per cent of capacity or 150 people, whichever is the lesser number starting March 19, places of worship in Regina and adjacent communities will remain at the current capacity level which is a maximum of 30 individuals, with required physical distancing and masking guidelines.  This will remain in effect until April 5, 2021 and will be evaluated at that time.

The adjacent communities include: Belle Plaine, Pense, Grand Coulee, Lumsden Beach, Regina Beach, Craven, Lumsden, Edenwold, Pilot Butte, White City, Balgonie, Kronau, Davin, Gray, Riceton, RM of Lajord, RM of Edenwold, RM of Sherwood, RM of Pense, and RM of Lumsden.

All residents of Regina, those who work in Regina and area and those who are planning travel to the region, are asked to abide by all best personal protective measures at this time to avoid further restrictions.  Minimize the risk in the city and throughout the region.  

  • Wear your mask in all public places including all workplaces
  • Wash non-medical masks daily
  • Maintain physical distancing
  • Wash your hands frequently
  • Reduce activities outside of your home.  Order take-out or curbside pick-up.  If you are able to work from home, work from home at this time.
  • Avoid all unnecessary travel to and from Regina

If you have any symptoms, stay home and arrange for a COVID-19 test.  If anyone in your home has symptoms, the entire household should remain home until the test results are known.  Testing information is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.

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.