Latest COVID update March 16: Regina region sees increase in new and active cases, variants

The Regina area continues to be Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 hotspot.

The Ministry of Health reported 101 of Tuesday’s 156 new cases in the province were in the Queen City region. As well, 61 of the 66 new confirmed cases of variants of concern are in the Regina area.

The Regina zone now has 122 of the 136 confirmed cases of variants and 186 of the 210 presumed cases.

There are 1,292 active COVID cases being reported in Saskatchewan — and 535 of those are in the Regina region.

As a result, the provincial government is backtracking on one of its recent changes to the public health orders, at least as far as the Regina area is concerned.

While places of worship around the province can expand to 30 per cent of their capacity or 150 people (whichever is less) starting Friday, those facilities in Regina and adjacent communities will have to stay at a maximum of 30 individuals until April 5. Physical distancing and masking guidelines must be met.

The communities include Belle Plaine, Pense, Grand Coulee, Lumsden Beach, Regina Beach, Craven, Lumsden, Edenwold, Pilot Butte, White City, Balgonie, Kronau, Davin, Gray and Riceton.

Eleven outbreaks have been declared in Regina in the past seven days, including at two Extendicare locations — Sunset and Elmview — and at Brightwater Senior Living.

There also are outbreaks at M.J. Coldwell School, Ranch Ehrlo and at Fire Station No. 7.

The government continues to recommend that residents of the Regina area — especially those over 50 — avoid expanding their bubbles to up to 10 people from two to three households.

As well, all residents of the province are being advised not to travel to or from the Regina region.

A look at the numbers

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID variants in the province increased to 136 — 130 of the United Kingdom variant and six of the South African mutation.

In addition to the new confirmed cases in the Regina area, there also are two new variant cases in the southeast zone and one in each of the Saskatoon, central-east and south-central zones.

There also are presumptive cases in the central (10), central-east (five), southeast (five), Saskatoon (three) and far northeast (one) zones.

Aside from Regina, the new cases reported Tuesday were in the Saskatoon (16), southeast (eight), far northeast (seven), northwest (seven), central-east (four), southwest (three), far northwest (two), central-west (one) and south-central (one) zones. The hometowns of six cases are being investigated.

Saskatchewan has had 30,883 cases since last March. The seven-day average of daily new cases is 138, or 11.3 per 100,000 population.

Two more Saskatchewan residents have died due to COVID-19. Those deaths — a person in their 30s from the Regina area and a person in their 80s from the far northwest — increase the province’s total so far to 409.

The 161 recoveries reported Tuesday increased that total so far to 29,182.

Of the 138 people in Saskatchewan hospitals, 31 are in intensive care. That number includes 15 cases in the Saskatoon area, 11 in the Regina region, three in the central-east area and one in each of the northwest and south-central zones

The 2,461 COVID tests processed in Saskatchewan on Monday increased the province’s total to date to 615,067.

Vaccination update

There were 4,245 vaccinations done in Saskatchewan on Monday, increasing the total so far to 108,669.

Of Monday’s total, 2,055 were done in the Regina region. There also were 734 shots given in the northwest zone, 484 in the Saskatoon area, 218 in the south-central zone, 188 in the southwest, 177 in the north-central zone, 159 in the southeast, 111 in the far northeast, 108 in the central-east region and 11 in the far northwest.

“As of March 16, 50 per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 80+ have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” the government said in its release. “This compares with 37 per cent one week ago (March 9), before the online and telephone booking systems were launched.”

According to the government, 15,374 appointments were booked using the new appointment systems on Monday. That included 11,838 online bookings and 3,536 by telephone.