Saskatchewan reports 300th death from COVID-19

Just over 10 months since the first case of the illness was identified in the province, 300 people in Saskatchewan have now died of COVID-19.

Nearly half of the total deaths in Saskatchewan 145occurred within the last month.

The province reported eight new deaths Saturday, along with 258 new cases of COVID-19 and 228 recoveries from the illness.

The deaths reported include one person in their 60sfrom the north central zone, and three people in their 70s from the central east, far northeast and Saskatoon zones.

Four people in their 80s have also died one from the north central zone, one from the Regina area and two from the Saskatoon zone.

On Saturday, the province's total caseload to date grew to 23,626. Here's where the new cases are:

• Far northwest: 10.
• Far north central: six.
• Far northeast: 20.
• Northwest: 40.
• North central: 26.
• Northeast: 14.
• Saskatoon: 45.
• Central west: one.
• Central east: nine.
• Regina zone: 53.
• Southwest: five.
• South central: two.
• Southeast: 18.

The location information for nine new cases is pending.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 244, or 19.9 new cases per 100,000 people, and the province currently has 2,523 known active cases.

There are 206 people with COVID-19 in hospital, 28 of whom are in intensive care.

The province processed 3,036 COVID-19 tests on Friday.

Vaccine update

The province administered 148COVID-19 vaccine doses on Friday, bringing the total numberin Saskatchewan to 35,239.

The latest doses were administered in the following areas:

• Far north central: 21.
• Saskatoon: 66.
• Central east: 22.
• North central: 39.

As of Friday, the province said it had administered 108 per cent of the doses it had officially received, with the overage due to drawing extra doses from vials.

Standard syringes draw five doses from each vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. However, specially approved syringes from Health Canada can draw the excess that remains, making it possible to extract six doses from a vial.

WATCH | Vaccine delays affect provincial rollout plans:

How delays of Canadas vaccine shipments impact provincial rollouts

4 years ago

Duration 2:00

Moderna says vaccine shipments to Canada will be cut in February, just as Pfizer has changed its delivery schedule. We look at how provinces are taking the bad news.

Responding to recent announcements that Pfizerand Moderna will be reducing their deliveries over the next four weeks, theprovince says itsvaccine distribution schedule is being adjusted to account for thedelays.

Swift Current and Regina, which were slated to receive vaccine deliveries next week to start administering first doses to priority groups, will have towait for now.