Latest COVID update Dec. 30: 589 new cases, 2,176 active cases

Saskatchewan reported its second-highest single-day total of COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

There were 589 cases reported, the most since 601 were announced on Sept. 30.

There were 650 cases announced on Oct. 7, but that included 241 cases that previously had been missing.

The Ministry of Health’s daily report came out just hours after Premier Scott Moe and Health Minister Paul Merriman said the province now is paying more attention to hospitalizations than case numbers.

On Thursday, the number of COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals fell to 79 — the lowest that figure has been since it was 79 on Aug. 17.

The total reported Thursday included 14 patients in intensive care, the fewest since there were 14 on Aug. 24.

“The (Omicron variant of the) virus is moving a little different than it was with Delta,” Merriman told reporters on a conference call. “We haven’t seen hospitalizations jump.”

The active case total rose to 2,176 on Thursday, an increase of 204 per cent from Nov. 30. But over the same time period, hospitalizations have fallen by 40 per cent.

The government said there were 117 confirmed cases of Omicron in the province and 1,055 probable cases.

The province also reported four deaths Thursday, including a person under the age of 19. It’s the fourth fatality in that age group since the pandemic started.

Two people in the 60-to-79 age group and one person between the ages of 40 and 59 also died. The deaths were reported in the Regina, Saskatoon, northwest and southeast regions.

A look at the numbers

The new cases were in the Saskatoon (242), Regina (137), central-east (44), southeast (27), southwest (24), northwest (20), south-central (20), north-central (18), central-west (18), northeast (four), far northwest (three) and far northeast (one) zones.

The hometowns of 31 cases are pending.

The total in the Saskatoon region was detected in 711 tests, while the Regina cases were found in 576 tests.

The cases reported Thursday included 294 people who were considered fully vaccinated and 291 who weren’t vaccinated. The 20-to-29 age group led both categories, with 94 vaccinated and 74 unvaccinated individuals in that age range contracting the virus.

To date, there have been 84,446 cases reported in Saskatchewan. There were 56 recoveries reported Thursday, increasing that total so far to 81,315.

The seven-day average climbed to 257, or 21.3 per 100,000. The average stood at 51 on Dec. 18.

There were 1,751 doses of COVID vaccines administered in the province in the latest reporting period, with 653 first shots and 1,098 second doses.

To date, 1,798,358 shots have been given in Saskatchewan, including 856,332 second shots.

No changes at schools

Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, told reporters on a conference call Thursday that schools will reopen as scheduled in the new year.

He noted case levels are not yet at a level where the province needs to do anything differently in its schools.

Health officials expect to see transmission in schools — just as there has been to this point — but they believe it can be managed without reverting to online instruction.

New Year’s Eve

Shahab offered a number of suggestions to help people avoid COVID transmission on New Year’s Eve.

Those include visiting only with close family and friends in gatherings of up to 10 people from two or three households. Then, small gatherings can connect virtually with other small groups.

If people opt to celebrate at a restaurant, bar or public venue, they should wear masks when not at their table.

He also suggested people should take a rapid test before they go out, even if they’re vaccinated.

“We need to do what we can to keep New Year’s Eve celebrations safe,” Shahab said. “We will see a surge, but we need to manage the surge and keep it as low as possible.”