Saskatchewan is getting closer to the end of one phase of the initial phase of its COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan.
In a media release Monday, the provincial government said 81 per cent of residents in long-term care homes have received their first doses of the vaccine. Forty-three per cent of residents also have received their second doses and are now fully vaccinated.
Residents and staff of long-term and personal-care homes were among those to be vaccinated in Phase 1 of the province’s plan. Certain health-care providers, residents aged 70 and over, and people aged 50 and older in remote areas and northern Saskatchewan also are included in Phase 1.
“Our health-care workers are doing an excellent job of administering vaccines quickly, safely and efficiently in long-term care facilities across the province,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said in the release. “The only thing slowing them down is the shortage of vaccines from the federal government.
“When we get enough doses, we will be able to quickly finish vaccinating all the residents and staff in our long-term care homes. We look forward to having our seniors in long-term care fully vaccinated as soon as possible so they are protected from the threat of COVID-19.”
The government also announced Monday there were 177 new COVID cases in the province and 195 recoveries. There weren’t any deaths reported.
Vaccination update
There were 920 doses given Sunday in Saskatchewan, with 499 in the Saskatoon area, 191 in the south-central zone, 187 in the central-east region and 43 in the northwest.
An additional 67 doses — 63 in the south-central area and four in the Regina region — were reported from Saturday.
The total number of vaccinations done in Saskatchewan to date stands at 61,730.
The government reminded people they’ll be contacted directly when they’re eligible to receive their vaccinations as the rollout continues.
“Registration for appointments for Phase Two sequenced populations will be available when Phase Two commences,” the government said in its release. “Please do not contact HealthLine 811 to register for vaccinations at this time. Notification will be provided when the registration system is available.”
A look at the numbers
The new cases reported Monday were in the Regina (48), Saskatoon (37), northwest (20), far northwest (15), central-east (11), north-central (seven), northeast (seven), far north-central (six), far northeast (five), south-central (five), central-west (four), southeast (three) and southwest (one) zones.
The hometowns of eight cases are pending.
The seven-day average of new cases is 158, or 12.9 per 100,000 population.
The total number of cases to date in the province is 27,797. There have been 25,773 recoveries reported and 1,652 cases are considered active.
There are 177 people in Saskatchewan hospitals, including 15 in intensive care. Those people are in the Saskatoon (eight), Regina (four), northwest (one), north-central (one) and central-east (one) areas.
The 162 people receiving inpatient care include 58 in the Saskatoon area and 42 in the Regina region.
The 2,105 tests processed in the province on Sunday increased that total so far to 561,183.