COVID-19 in Sask.: 50% of eligible people in province now fully vaccinated

Saskatchewan passed a COVID-19 vaccination milestone on Wednesday, with more than half a million residents now fully vaccinated against the illness.

Another13,719 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administeredon Tuesday, meaning1,247,253 shots have been given in Saskatchewan, according to the province's Wednesday update.

Nearly 88 per cent (12,001)of the doses administered Tuesday were second doses,helping to push the province to a total of 513,465 residents who are now fully vaccinated. Thatmeans 50 per cent of people 12 and up are now vaccinated, according to Wednesday's update.

Only 1,718 first doses were administered on Tuesday, leaving the province at a 71 per cent first-dose vaccination rate. A total of733,788people have had their first dose.

Increase in cases, deaths

The province reported 53 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest number of cases in 12 days.

There have now been 49,039known cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan since the pandemic began.

The increase in cases bumped up the seven-day rolling average of new cases to 31 per day.

That average has dropped since reaching a peak of287 in mid-April.

There are now 319known active cases in the province, with 48,150people having recoveredfrom the virus.

Saskatchewan reported a single additional COVID-19-related death Wednesday a person in their 40s in the province's northwest zone bringing the total number of deaths in Saskatchewan from the illness to 570.

The new cases reported on Wednesday were in the following regions:

• Far northwest: five
• Far northeast: three.
• Northwest: one.
• North central: five.
• Saskatoon: six.
• Central west: three.
• Regina:13.
• Southwest: 10.

Residence information is pending for seven cases.

Another seven previously reported cases were found to involveout-of-province residents and have been removed from the Saskatchewan's total count.

The province reported that there are 64 people receiving care in hospital with COVID-19,two more than the day before.

Ten of those 64 patients are receiving intensive care.