COVID-19 in Sask.: Test positivity at 29% for third day in a row

Saskatchewan's COVID-19 hospitalizations went up by two for a total of 121 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the same number of people as the day before, 11, are in ICU, but it is not the same 11 people.

Of the 121 patients in hospital with COVID, 45 per cent were not fully vaccinated.

There are 8,229 known active cases in the province, but that doesn't include people who tested positive on a rapid test alone, or asymptomatic people.

Saskatchewan's test positivity is at 29 per cent for the third day in a row. That means 29 per cent of everyone going in for a PCR test is testing positive. The rolling seven day average of test positivity is now at 28 per cent.

Thirty-nine per cent of eligible residents 18 and up have now received their booster dose. As for first and second doses, 906 people are newly fully vaccinated as of Tuesday and 395 people received first doses.

No new deaths were reported.

The province has released its vaccination and breakthrough infections report for the month of December.

According to the report, vaccinations are still protecting against the most severe COVID-19 illnesses.

"Of the 4,621 December cases, only 65 (1.4 per cent) cases were hospitalized. Estimated ICU rates were 3.5/100,000 for the unvaccinated and 0.4/100,000 in those with the second dose," the report reads, in part.

"Of the 4,621 cases reported in December, seven (0.2 per cent) had fatal outcomes. Of the cases who died, four (57.1 per cent) were unvaccinated. There were no deaths reported in the group with the first booster dose and no deaths among December cases under 20 years of age."

December's report is the first that booster dose information is available on, though there was not a lot of data because booster availability was ramping up throughout that month.