Latest COVID update Sept. 3 — Third-highest daily caseload reported

Saskatchewan reported its third-highest daily total of new COVID-19 cases Friday.

The total of 418 new cases is behind only the 441 new cases reported on Nov. 21 and the 419 announced on Dec. 6.

As well, 25 cases involving Saskatchewan residents who tested positive in other jurisdictions were added to the provincial total, which now stands at 55,396.

The number of active COVID cases in Saskatchewan reached 2,755, the most since there were 3,272 active cases on Jan. 25.

The province also reported two more deaths due to COVID, increasing the provincial total to date to 610.

Also Friday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority announced it was passing contact tracing responsibilities to people who test positive.

The SHA said under the modified approach, those who test positive “will be supported to notify their own close contacts.”

A look at the numbers

The seven-day average of new COVID cases in Saskatchewan rose to 302, or 25.1 cases per 100,000 population. It hasn’t been that high since it was 308 on Jan. 17.

The cases reported Friday were in the Saskatoon (131), northwest (50), north-central (47), Regina (23), central-west (23), northeast (21), far northwest (20), far northeast (15), southeast (13), central-east (11), southwest (10) and south-central (nine) zones. The hometowns of 45 cases are pending.

The Saskatoon zone has reported the most cases to date, with 13,275. The Regina region is next at 12,520, with the north reporting 12,556 cases so far.

According to the provincial government, 341 of the new cases reported Friday were unvaccinated people, and 55 were fully vaccinated.

There are 135 COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, with 23 in intensive care. The Ministry of Health said 95 of the people in hospital due to COVID weren’t fully vaccinated.

The 2,716 COVID vaccine doses delivered in the latest reporting period included 1,542 second doses. There are 699,113 people considered fully vaccinated.

Changes to close contact notifications

The SHA said the surge in cases has led to a rise in the number of close contacts identified by those individuals who tested positive.

“This surge combined with limited public health resources has resulted in an inability to provide timely notification to individuals who may have been exposed and are at risk,” the SHA said in its media release.

Under the new approach, the SHA will tell people they have tested positive and provide them with what it called “isolation education.” Those individuals then will be asked to tell their close contacts of their positive test results.

That will allow the health authority “to identify persons testing positive in health-care settings, vulnerable populations, long-term care and other congregate living settings to prioritize investigations in these setting so that outbreak prevention and control measures can be put into action quickly.”

As well, the SHA and the provincial health ministry are reviewing their policy for the management of COVID cases and contact tracing in schools.

The authority is urging all residents to download the Health Canada COVID Alert app.