COVID-19 in Sask.: 153 new cases, 1 death, vaccine age registration decline continues

The government of Saskatchewan reported 153 new cases of COVID-19 and one death in a person who tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

The person who died was in their 70s and from the Saskatoon zone. Since the pandemic started405 people in Saskatchewan have died.

The new cases were reported in:

• Far northwest, two.
• Far north central, five.
• Far northeast, eight.
• Northwest, nine.
• North central, four.
• Northeast, seven.
• Saskatoon, 16.
• Central East, 13.
• Regina, 64.
• Southwest, one.
• South central, 14.
• Southeast, five.

Five new cases were pending residence information. Three cases previously requiring residence information were assigned to the northwest zone.

Due to increased transmission in the Regina zone residents were advised to not increase their personal bubbles. Many outbreaks in the city are tied to people going to work or public spaces while symptomatic.

Residents were reminded to stay home if they show symptoms and to seek testing.

• As of Saturday there were 1,469 cases of COVID-19 considered active in Saskatchewan.
• The seven-day daily average of new cases was 133, or 10.9 cases per 100,000 people.
• As of Saturday there were 133 people in hospital with COVID-19. Of them 30 were in intensive care.

Vaccinations continue

The province said it surpassed the 100,000 vaccination milestone, when 1,624 new dose administrations were announced bringing the total to 100,195 as of Saturday.

A drive-thru AstraZeneca-Oxfordvaccine clinic for 64-year-olds onlyopens at the Regina Exhibition AssociationLtd. grounds in Reginaon Monday. Saturday's update said the site will open to additional ages, in descending order, in the days after. Appointments cannot be pre-booked.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is currently approved in Canada only for those 18 to 64 years of age.

The drive-thru site will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will be first-come first-serve.

Vaccination registration continues and the province announced those aged 72 and older will be able to register for a vaccination appointment starting on Sunday.

Those who qualify were asked to call the Saskatchewan Health Authority patient booking system at 1-833-727-5829 between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. CST. Bookings can also be made online at anytime using a health card.

As of noon CST Saturday, 7,841 people over the age of 76 booked appointments for COVID-19 vaccines, bringing the province's total there to 22,151.

Of the bookings, 78.7 per cent were booked online, or 17,440, while 21.3 per cent, or 4,711 were booked over the phone.