Saskatchewan reported Wednesday its lowest single-day total of new COVID-19 cases in more than two weeks.
In a media release, the Ministry of Health said there were 234 new cases in the province. That’s the lowest daily total since Jan. 5, when there were 153 new cases reported.
Saskatchewan also announced the COVID-related deaths of four more residents — one in their 60s from the Regina area, one in their 70s from the north-central zone, and two people in the 80-and-over age group from the Saskatoon and southeast zones, respectively.
The ministry also noted three deaths that previously had been reported had been removed from the province’s total after it was determined they weren’t due to COVID.
The death toll due to the virus in Saskatchewan now stands at 226.
The new cases reported Wednesday increase the provincial total so far to 21,112. Seven residents who tested positive outside the province had been added to Saskatchewan’s total.
The new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (66), northwest (39), far northwest (27), Regina (23), far northeast (18), northeast (17), central-east (15), north-central (nine), southeast (eight), central-west (six), south-central (two), far north-central (one) and southwest (one) zones.
The hometowns of two new cases are still being determined.
The seven-day average of new cases is 298, or 24.6 per 100,000 population.
The ministry noted “a significant backlog” in the number of recoveries is being addressed. As a result, the province reported Wednesday there were 694 recoveries, increasing the total to date to 17,184.
That’s the second-highest total of recoveries reported in a single day, behind only the 713 from Dec. 12.
The number of active cases being reported in the province fell to 3,702.
According to the ministry, a technical issue meant hospitalization data wasn’t available Wednesday.
Of the total number of cases so far in the province, 1,209 have involved health-care workers.
There have been 5,588 cases from the Saskatoon area, 5,524 in the north, 3,836 in the Regina region, 2,811 in the far north, 2,061 from the south region, and 1,195 in the central zone. Residence information is pending for 97 cases.
The 2,559 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Tuesday increased the total so far to 479,092.
There were 2,658 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered Wednesday in Saskatchewan — 774 in the Regina region, 485 in the central-east zone, 460 in the north-central zone, 444 in the Saskatoon area, 348 in the northwest, 80 in the far northeast, 47 in the southeast, 11 in the far northwest and nine in the far north-central area.
The total number of vaccines administered in the province increased to 24,575.
“Pfizer has announced that Canada will receive zero doses for the week of January 25 but the shipment received this week will permit for limited vaccinations to continue next week,” the ministry said.