Latest COVID update Nov. 26: 3 deaths, 299 new cases; 85 active cases at Saskatoon jail

The Saskatchewan government reported Thursday the deaths of three residents who had tested positive for COVID-19.

One of the people was in their 70s and lived in the Saskatoon area. The other two were people in the 80-and-over age group who lived in the northwest area of the province.

The COVID-related death toll in the province is now at 40.

The Ministry of Health also reported 299 new cases Thursday — including 72 from the Saskatoon Correctional Centre.

That number includes 68 inmates and four staff members. There are 85 active cases at the facility.

According to the ministry, testing is continuing for inmates and staff at the facility. As of Thursday, there won’t be any new admissions to the Saskatoon Correctional Centre, with remanded and sentenced offenders being sent to facilities in Regina and Prince Albert.

“All new admissions to provincial correctional centres will be tested for COVID-19 starting early next week,” the ministry said in its media release. “New admissions will continue to be quarantined for 14 days.”

As well, the Ministry of Corrections and Policing is implementing continuous mask use for all offenders in provincial facilities. Employees at correctional centres have been wearing masks since the summer.

A look at the numbers

The new cases reported Thursday were in the Saskatoon (125), Regina (44), north-central (34), northwest (17), far northeast (16), south-central (12), far northwest (11), southeast (eight), southwest (seven), central-east (six), central-west (four), far north-central (four) and northeast (three) zones.

The hometowns of eight cases are pending.

Eighteen residents who tested positive outside of Saskatchewan have been added to the province’s total. Two positive tests previously assigned to Saskatchewan have been determined to be out-of-province residents and were removed from the province’s total.

As a result, the total number of cases in Saskatchewan is now 7,362.

The seven-day average of new cases is 243, or 20.1 per 100,000 population.

There were 178 recoveries reported Thursday, increasing that total so far to 4,176. The number of active cases being reported is now 3,146.

The number of people hospitalized in Saskatchewan fell by three from Wednesday’s total to 108.

There are 18 people in intensive care, with 10 in Saskatoon, four in Regina, two in the southwest and one in each of the northwest and north-central areas.

Of the 90 people receiving inpatient care, 34 are in Saskatoon, 19 are in the southeast zone, 16 are in Regina, eight are in the northwest, eight are in the north-central area, two are in the central-east region, one is in the far northwest, one is in the northeast and one is in the southwest.

The number of Saskatchewan health-care workers to have contracted the virus to date increased to 225, up nine from Wednesday’s report.

The total number of cases comprises 2,170 from the Saskatoon area, 1,550 from the north, 1,212 from the Regina region, 978 from the south zone, 848 in the far north, and 576 from the central area. The hometowns of 28 cases are being determined.

There have been 2,603 cases in the 20-to-39 age range, 1,962 between the ages of 40 and 59, 1,552 involving people 19 and under, 980 from ages 60 to 79, and 260 aged 80 and over. The ages of five cases are being confirmed.

There were 3,493 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Wednesday, increasing that number to date to 330,364.

More outbreaks declared

The list of outbreaks on the province’s website grew Thursday to include a variety of locations.

In the Regina area, Gailenes Child Care, a senior men’s hockey team, the Paul Dojack Centre and the isolation unit of the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre were added.

So was Pioneer Village, one of the city’s long-term care homes. A list of care homes with outbreaks can be found here.

Also added to the list of outbreaks were multiple Saskatoon minor hockey teams and the Mosaic Company’s K3 mine in Esterhazy.