Latest COVID update Oct. 22: 300 new cases, 12 deaths

Nearly one-third of the new COVID-19 cases reported in Saskatchewan on Friday were kids under the age of 11.

The Ministry of Health announced there were 300 new cases, with 99 of them in the 11-and-under age group. Those children currently aren’t eligible to be vaccinated.

During a physicians’ town hall Thursday night, doctors were told there were 17 kids in hospital with COVID in the province as of last Sunday.

The ministry also announced 12 deaths Friday, the most in one day since there were a single-day record of 14 on Jan. 26.

There were four fatalities reported in each of the Regina and northwest zones, with one in each of the Saskatoon, southwest, south-central and southeast zones.

Nine of the individuals were in the 80-and-over age group, with three between the ages of 60 and 79.

There has been at least one COVID-related death in Saskatchewan in 48 straight days. So far in October, 117 residents of the province have died as a result of COVID, increasing the total to date to 812.

As of Thursday, Saskatchewan had the country’s highest rate of deaths over the past seven days, at 2.6. New Brunswick was next at 2.4.

There were 308 COVID patients in Saskatchewan’s hospitals, with 80 of those in intensive care units.

To date, six ICU patients have been transferred to Ontario, with three more to be moved by the end of the weekend.

A look at the numbers

The new cases were reported in the Saskatoon (78), southeast (43), Regina (38), central-east (32), northwest (25), far northeast (20), north-central (16), south-central (12), northeast (six), central-east (five) and far northwest (three) zones. The hometowns of 22 cases are pending.

The latest infections included 225 people who weren’t vaccinated, 58 individuals who had received two doses of COVID vaccine, and 17 people who were partially vaccinated.

The total number of cases were detected in 3,023 tests, for a test positivity rate of 9.9.

To date, there have been 75,842 cases reported in the province and 71,895 recoveries. The active caseload stands at 3,135, up 31 from Thursday’s report.

The hospitalizations include 226 people who weren’t fully vaccinated.

Vaccination update

There were 4,216 doses of COVID vaccine administered in the latest reporting period, comprising 2,734 second shots and 1,482 first doses.

To date, 775,941 people in the province have received two doses and are considered fully vaccinated. More than 1.63 million shots have been given in Saskatchewan so far.