Latest COVID update June 19: Step 3 of Re-Opening Roadmap to start July 11

Saskatchewan hit another key vaccination target on Saturday, with 70 per cent of adults having received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

By hitting that mark, July 11 has been set as the date for when Step 3 of the province’s Re-Opening Roadmap will begin, when most public health measures will be lifted, except for restrictions on mass gatherings and mandatory masking. Once the province vaccinates 70 per cent of those 12 and older, those final two restrictions will be removed after three weeks, and once three weeks pass since the start of Step 2.

“Saskatchewan people are doing a great job protecting themselves and those around them while making sure we can (reopen) safely by getting vaccinated,” said Premier Scott Moe in a news release.

“As we continue in our Re-Opening Roadmap, I’m urging people to continue to get vaccinated, and to get that second shot just as soon as it’s your turn. Let’s all stick it to COVID, let’s get things back to the way they should be in our province, and let’s all have a great Saskatchewan summer.”

Great news Saskatchewan! Today, we reached the vaccination threshold for Step Three of Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap – 70% of residents 18+ with a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. [1/4] pic.twitter.com/VI0wqHe0ks

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) June 19, 2021

Step 2 of the Re-Opening Roadmap begins on Sunday. Among the loosening restrictions, gathering limits will expand, capacity limits will be lifted on retail and personal care services and restaurants can seat more people at each table, as long as physical distancing between groups is possible.

Vaccination update

As of June 18, there were another 19,737 vaccines administered, a daily record.

“The vaccine reporting timeline was adjusted to a 24-hour period for a short term in order to provide the most up to date information to support a decision on the ability to move to Step 3 of the Re-Open Roadmap,” says a news release from the province. Because of this, vaccination numbers for Saturday will be provided on Sunday, the province says.

Doses were given in the far north west (405), far north central (20), far north east (406), north west (1,763), north central (1,760), north east (322), Saskatoon (5,615), central west (511), central east (1,404), Regina (3,535), south west (724), south central (1,545) and south east (1,171) areas. The location of 556 doses have not been determined.

So far, 79 per cent of those 40 and older have received their first dose. Seventy-four per cent of those 30-plus have received their first dose. Seventy per cent of adults have had their first dose.

Sixty-eight per cent of those 12 and older have received their first dose.

A quarter of all eligible residents have been fully vaccinated.

A look at the numbers

Saskatchewan reported 55 new cases, raising the provincial total to 48,381 cases.

No new deaths were reported.

The cases were located in the following zones: far north west (2), far north east (2), north west (7), north central (1), north east (2), Saskatoon (12), central west (1), central east (5), Regina (12), south west (1), south central (3), and south east (3). The locations of four cases are pending.

Eight previously reported cases were assigned to far north west (7) and Regina (1).

There are 760 active cases.

Currently, 82 people are in hospital, with 71 receiving inpatient care: far north west (1), north west (10), north central (9), north east (1), Saskatoon (27), central east (2), Regina (17), south central (4).

Eleven people are in intensive care: north central (1), Saskatoon (6), Regina (4).

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is 71, or 5.8 per 100,000 people.

On June 18, there were 1,802 tests processed.