COVID-19 in Sask.: 5 more deaths, 73 new cases reported Saturday

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Saskatchewan is down, but the province also announced five new deaths from the illness on Saturday.

There were 73 new cases of the disease reported on the province's online dashboard on Saturday — 35 fewer than were reported on Friday and 150 fewer than were reported exactly a month ago.

More than one-third of the new cases (26) were in children under the age of 12, according to the dashboard.

Of the new cases among people age 12 and older, just over half were in fully vaccinated people.

Four of the people with COVID-19 who died were in the 60-79 age group and one person was in the 80-plus age group, according to the province.

Since the start of the pandemic, 921 people with COVID-19 have died in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan's rate of COVID-19 deaths within the last two weeks was 2.1 per 100,000 people, according to the latest federal data.

That's the second-highest rate among all provinces, just behind Manitoba, with a rate of 2.6 deaths per 100,000 population over the same period.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan dropped by 77, to 940 as of Saturday.

The last time the number of known active cases was below 950 was on Aug. 13, when there were 893 active cases.

The Saskatoon health zone has the highest number of active cases (177), followed by southeastern zone (158) and the central east region (141).

The new cases reported Saturday were in the following health zones:

• Northwest: six.

• Northeast: three.

• Saskatoon: 13.

• Central west: one.

• Central east: 17.

• Regina: 11.

• Southwest: two.

• Southeast: 15.

Residence information is pending for five new cases.

The seven-day average of daily new cases was 82 on Saturday, or 6.8 per 100,000 people.

Tests down, vaccination up

There are 138 people with COVID-19 in Saskatchewan hospitals in the province as of Saturday, including 37 in intensive care units in the province. There are also six Saskatchewan residents receiving ICU care out of province.

According to the dashboard, 66.7 per cent of the 138 patients in Saskatchewan hospitals were not fully vaccinated.

Daily new test numbers reported Satursday were down since Friday's update.

Health care workers administered 1,819 new COVID-19 tests, 334 fewer than reported the day before, according to the dashboard.

With COVID-19 vaccines becoming available to children age five to 11 this week, immunization numbers continue to climb in Saskatchewan.

A total of 6,182 more people have received a COVID-19 shot, according to Saturday's update, with 4,898 getting a first shot and 1,284 getting their second.

So far, health-care workers have administered 8,707 doses to children in the five to 11 age group, according to Saturday's update.

To date, 833,795 people across Saskatchewan have been fully vaccinated.