COVID-19 in Sask.: New cases down 28%, testing rates also down

New cases of COVID-19 are at the lowest level in Saskatchewan since late August, but the number of people getting tested isalso down.

On Monday, the provincial health ministry's COVID-19 dashboard reported 170 new cases. That's down by 66 or 28 per cent from the day before and is the lowest number since Aug. 26.

Also down is the number of active cases (2,822) and the seven-day average of daily cases (259).

Yesterday, 1,681 people got tested for the disease. The number hasn't been that low since mid-August.

The new cases reported Monday are distributed across the following zones:

• Far north west: one.
• Far north central: zero.
• Far north east: 15.
• North west: 13.
• North central: 11.
• North east: eight.
• Saskatoon: 29.
• Central west: three.
• Central east: 18.
• Regina: 35.
• South west: four.
• South central: two.
• South east: eight.
• Residence pending: 23.

No one died of COVID-19 yesterday, so the total toll since the pandemic began remains at 817.

There are 293 people in hospital with the disease, with 71 of them in intensive care. The ICU number does not include the nine Saskatchewan residents who have been flown to Ontario for treatment.

Active cases have been dropping since late September, with 2,822 being the most recent total. The Saskatoon region remains the COVID-19 hot spot, with 683 cases.

Just over 1,900 people got vaccinated yesterday, about half the number of the day before.