25 health-care workers among Sask. COVID-19 cases

The number of COVID-19 cases among Saskatchewan’s health-care workers is nearly 10 per cent of the province’s total.

In a media release Tuesday, the provincial government said there were seven new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to date in Saskatchewan to 260.

Of that number, 25 are health-care workers. As was previously reported, 11 health-care providers contracted the virus at a curling bonspiel in Edmonton last month.

During a recent conference call with the media, Premier Scott Moe said disclosing the number of health-care workers who were sick was necessary for transparency.

He added that members of that group are constantly self-monitoring for symptoms and self-isolating if required. They’re also at the front of the line for testing.

“We’re making sure when we are working with a patient who has respiratory symptoms or risk that we use the appropriate (personal protective equipment) to protect ourselves,” Dr. Susan Shaw, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s chief medical officer, said during the same call.

“Health-care workers are being prioritized in the testing because of the importance of making sure that we know what’s happening with our staff.”

On Tuesday, the government said there were seven more recoveries — bringing that total to date to 88 — and seven people in hospital.

The number of hospitalizations increased by three from Monday’s figures released by the province and was at its highest single-day total.

Five people — four in Saskatoon and one in Regina — are receiving inpatient care. As of Monday, there were two people receiving inpatient care in Saskatoon.

There are still two people in intensive care, one in each of Regina and Saskatoon.

The number of deaths remained at three.

Of the 260 cases, 115 have been identified as travellers, 80 are community contacts (including mass gatherings) and 13 don’t have any known exposures. Public health investigations are being conducted on the other 52 cases.

Geographically, 131 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 52 are from the Regina area, 48 live in the north, 15 reside in the south, 10 are from the central region and four are from the far north.

All seven of the new cases are under the age of 65, with three new positive tests in the 45-to-64 range (for a total of 92) and two new cases in each of the 19-and-under (for a total of 13) and 20-to-44 age groups (now at 112). There are 43 cases aged 65 and over.

There have been 14,722 COVID-19 tests done in the province, an increase of 544 since Monday’s figures were announced.

Saskatoon leads the way with 6,184 tests performed, followed by Regina (3,803) and the north (2,050).

The province didn’t hold a conference call with the media to discuss Tuesday’s numbers.

Easter plans should change

In its release, the government suggested that Saskatchewan families should celebrate Easter differently.

“Instead of inviting family and friends over for dinner, host a virtual gathering using digital technology,” the government said.

The province recommended that in-person Easter gatherings should only include people living in the same dwelling, that groceries should be purchased well in advance, that only one member of a household should do the shopping, and that hand-washing and physical distancing should be practised.

Cashing in

The Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Saskatchewan Lotteries announced Tuesday that winners will have an extra six months to claim their prizes due to COVID-19 restrictions.

With physical distancing now a priority, the corporations are giving extensions to players whose tickets would have expired between March 17 and Sept. 17 of this year.

The extension applies to Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Daily Grand, Western Max, Western 649, Extra, Pick 2/3/4, Poker Lotto and All-In, Keno, Sport Select games (Proline, Point Spread, Over/Under, Pools, and Props), and Zing instant scratch tickets.