Latest COVID update June 15: 47 new cases, 4 deaths, 722 active cases

For the second straight day, Saskatchewan reported its lowest daily total of new COVID-19 cases for 2021.

One day after announcing 55 new cases, the Ministry of Health reported 47 new infections Tuesday. However, there were only 1,478 tests done in the province.

The province also said there were 95 recoveries, 24 new cases of variants of concern and four deaths — the highest single-day total since six people died on May 27.

The latest fatalities due to the virus were a person in their 50s from the southeast zone, an individual in their 60s from the Saskatoon region, a person in their 70s from the northeast area, and an individual in the 80-and-over age group from the north-central zone.

The death toll due to COVID in Saskatchewan stands at 560 since March of 2020.

The province also announced 6,880 doses of COVID vaccines were administered, including 5,719 second doses and 1,161 first shots.

A look at the numbers

The 47 new cases reported Tuesday increased the provincial total to date to 48,043.

The latest infections were in the Regina (14), Saskatoon (12), northwest (six), north-central (three), central-west (three), far northwest (two), central-east (two), far northeast (one), northeast (one), south-central (one) and southeast (one) zones. The hometown of one case is pending.

The seven-day average of new COVID cases fell to 70, or 5.7 per 100,000 population. The number hasn’t been that low since it was 70 on Nov. 1.

The new variant cases increased that total so far in the province to 11,750. The lineage of 239 variant cases was identified by whole genome sequencing, raising totals to 6,130 cases of the United Kingdom variant, 231 of the Brazilian strain, 67 of the Indian mutation and 10 of the South African variant.

The latest recoveries hiked that total so far to 46,761. There 722 cases that are considered active in the province, the lowest that total has been since it was 707 on Oct. 29.

The 97 hospitalizations due to COVID in Saskatchewan include 15 cases in intensive care — six in Saskatoon, four in Regina, two in the north-central zone and one in each of the northwest, central-east and southwest regions.

That’s the fewest ICU cases in Saskatchewan since Feb. 22, when there also were 15 patients in intensive care.

Vaccination update

The latest immunizations increased the province’s total so far to 910,322.

The shots were done in the Saskatoon (2,886), Regina (1,560), northwest (708), north-central (487), central-east (352), far northeast (210), south-central (119), southeast (119), central-west (108), northeast (59), southwest (32) and far northwest (12). The hometowns of 228 recipients are pending.

To date, 69 per cent of people 18 and over have received a first dose — one percentage point short of the target set by the provincial government for Step Three of the Re-Opening Roadmap to take effect.