Saskatchewan reports seventh death due to COVID-19

For the first time in nearly a month, Saskatchewan has recorded another death connected to COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the province reported a seventh Saskatchewan resident who had tested positive for the virus had died.

It’s the first coronavirus-related death in the province since April 29.

In a media release, the Government of Saskatchewan said the person in their 60s lived in the northern region of the province. Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab, declined to provide any more specific information about where the person was from, citing privacy concerns. That’s despite other provinces, like Alberta, providing specific information about where people are testing positive and where they’re dying.

The northern region and the Saskatoon area each has recorded two deaths due to the virus to date. The other three fatalities have been in Regina, the far north and the central region.

The government also announced 21 new cases Wednesday — the province’s highest single-day total since it announced 25 new cases on May 6.

Sixteen of the new cases are in the far north, including 15 split between the communities of La Loche (nine) and Beauval (six). There also are four new cases in the north and one in the Saskatoon area.

The cases reported Wednesday bring the total number to date in Saskatchewan to 620.

“I’m, frankly, not surprised by an increase in cases, especially in the far north and north where we’ve expanded our testing criteria and the work that’s being done on the ground to do risk assessments and to support people,” said Sask. Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone.

Livingstone said ebbs and flows in new cases are going to be the norm for months. He said the good news is that these cases are in areas where they have people on the ground, testing and contact tracing, and trying to control things.

Shahab spoke generally, saying they’re more likely to find more cases in places where they’re doing active case finding because they do things like testing everyone in a household and testing all contacts.

Expanded testing

One of the major pillars for nearly every re-open plan in the country is expanded and aggressive testing for COVID-19. And, as of May 25, the province will expand its criteria for those who can be tested for COVID-19.

Livingstone said the authority is waiting a little bit to make sure everyone is up to speed.

“The number one reason why the expanded testing criteria will be put in place next week is so that we can prepare the staff at 811 Healthline for the proper understanding and workflow associated with the expanded targeting guidelines, because they are extensive,” said Livingstone.

Livingstone said the testing criteria will evolve along with the work they do to prepare staff.

The new criteria will include:

• anyone working outside the home
• anyone with a compromised immune system, like cancer patients, who are asymptomatic and will be going for procedures which would suppress their immune systems, like chemotherapy
• healthcare workers caring for patients with a compromised immune system
• anyone going into an acute care hospital for a stay of more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers about to give birth
• people living homeless or in other vulnerable settings
• and mobile worksite testing for anyone who wants a test in a high volume work setting such as a factory or industrial setting

Livingstone said the details on the mobile worksite testing still need to be worked out.

The numbers

There have been 242 cases in the far north, 165 from the Saskatoon area, 110 in the north, 76 from the Regina area, 15 in the south and 12 from the central area.

Of the total, 339 cases have been community contacts (including mass gatherings), 139 have been travellers, 71 haven’t had any known exposures and 71 are being investigated by local public health.

The total number of cases includes 49 health-care workers.

Demographically, 88 cases have involved people 19 years of age and under. There have been 223 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 187 between the ages of 40 and 59, 104 in the 60-to-79 range, and 18 aged 80 and over.

There also were 24 recoveries reported Wednesday, increasing that total so far to 494. That includes 158 in Saskatoon, 139 in the far north, 98 in the north, 74 in Regina, 15 in the south and 10 in the central region.

There now are 120 active cases in the province, comprising 102 in the far north, 11 in the north, five in Saskatoon, one in the central region and one in Regina.

There are four people in hospital in Saskatoon, including three in intensive care and one receiving inpatient care.

There were 345 tests done Tuesday, bringing the province’s total to date to 41,951.

-With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick