COVID-19 in Sask.: Province expands vaccine eligibility to more front-line health-care workers

The province is expanding vaccine eligibility for non-Saskatchewan Health Authority health-care workers who are on the front line in clinical care areas.

Those eligible now include front-line staff in private digital imaging clinics, community labs, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency and in private physicians' offices who provide patient care, the province announced Friday.

The newly included health-care workers will receive a letter of eligibility over the coming days, which they will need in order to register for COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the province. Appointments for this select group must be made through the telephone booking system only.

Saskatchewan also reported 221 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Two more people have died due to the illness caused by the novel coronavirus: a person in their 60s from the northwest zone, and a person in their 40s from the southeast zone.

There are 190 people in hospital in the province due to COVID-19, including 44 in intensive care.

Regina has the bulk of the ICU patients, with 66.

There were 3,739 COVID-19 tests processed in the province Thursday, according to the province's latest COVID-19 update.

The province reported 277 new cases involving the more contagious coronavirus variants of concern on Friday. Regina accounts for 76 per cent of Saskatchewan's total variant cases to date.

Of the 37,615 known COVID-19 cases to date in the province, 2,603 cases are considered active.

The seven-day average of daily new cases in Saskatchewan is 264 — 21.6 new cases per 100,000 population.

The new cases Friday are in the following provincial zones:

• Far northwest: five.

• Far northeast: five.

• Northwest: 21.

• North central: eight.

• Northeast: four.

• Saskatoon: 25.

• Central west: one.

• Central east: 11.

• Regina: 57.

• Southwest: 18.

• South central: 25.

• Southeast: 25.

Residence information is pending for 16 other new cases.

The province also reported 225 new recoveries on Friday.

More than 320,000 vaccines administered

As of Friday, 58 per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 50 and over have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

There were 8,168 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered Thursday in Saskatchewan, according to the province.

To date, a total of 323,573 shots have been administered.