Latest COVID update Feb. 2: 8 deaths, 223 new cases, 266 recoveries

Eight more Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID-19.

The Government of Saskatchewan reported the deaths Tuesday. The death toll in the province since the pandemic started in March is 314.

There were two deaths reported in the 80-and-over age group (one in each of the Saskatoon and southeast zones), two in the 70-to-79 age group (one in the Saskatoon zone, one in the southeast) and two in the 60-to-69 age group (one in each of the northwest and north-central areas).

The other deaths were a person in their 40s from the northwest zone and an individual in their 50s from the Regina region.

Over the past seven days, 46 Saskatchewan residents have died.

During a media conference Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe admitted January was “a very challenging month” in terms of the fatalities.

Asked why Saskatchewan won’t change its approach to the virus and implement stricter measures as the death toll mounts, Moe said that could happen when the current public health order expires Feb. 19.

But then he intimated that likely won’t happen, noting the current regulations have lowered the case numbers in recent weeks.

“The measures that we do have in place are working (and) they continue to work,” he said. “We can talk about whether they should be faster or slower, but they are in place (and) they are working.

“They do work better when each and every one of us commits to following that advice that is there.”

The government also announced Tuesday there were 223 new cases — 65 in the Regina region, 38 in the Saskatoon area, 28 in the north-central zone, 18 in the northwest, 14 in the far northwest, eight in each of the far north-central, far northeast and southeast areas, seven in both the northeast and south-central zones, six in the central-west area and three in the central-east region. The hometowns of 13 cases are still being investigated.

Two Saskatchewan residents who tested positive outside of the province have been added to the province’s total number of cases, which now stands at 24,236.

The seven-day average of new cases is 227, or 18.5 per 100,000 population.

“It is a concern that we are still averaging around 200, 225 cases,” said Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer. “We’re certainly trending down, but not as fast as certainly we would like to see.

“We’re constantly reviewing what are specific areas that we can reduce and really can’t find one specific area.”

The government announced there were 266 recoveries, increasing the total so far to 21,602. The number of active cases stands at 2,320.

Hospitalization data was not available Tuesday.

There were 1,974 COVID tests processed in the province Monday, increasing that total to 512,512.

Health-care workers did 106 COVID vaccinations Monday — 73 in the Saskatoon area and 33 in the far northeast — to hike the total in the province so far to 35,575. A closer examination of data found another 22 doses were administered Friday.

Moe, who spoke with the CEO of Pfizer on Tuesday, said the province needs to do more vaccinations — and he once again implored the federal government to get more vaccine to Saskatchewan.

In the next day or two, 5,850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are to arrive in the province. Moe said those are to be used for second shots in North Battleford, Saskatoon and Prince Albert and some will be given as first doses in Moosomin.

Later this week, a shipment of 6,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine is to land in Saskatchewan. The premier said that shipment is to be given as second doses in the far north and northwest areas of the province and as first shots in Rosetown and Kindersley.

Moe noted that in Phase 1 of the province’s vaccine rollout plan, 380,000 doses were required to give two shots each to health-care workers, residents and staff in long-term care homes and other members of the province’s priority population.

“So far, we have received under 10 per cent of that amount,” Moe said. “This week’s shipments will bump that number to about 12 per cent of our Phase 1 target, so we have a long ways to go just to get through Phase 1. We need more vaccines and we need them more quickly.”

The province is to announce later this week or early next week its sequencing plan for Phase 2 of the rollout.