Latest COVID update Feb. 4: Hospitalizations, active cases drop

The number of active COVID-19 cases being reported in Saskatchewan dropped below 10,000 for the first time in three weeks Friday.

The Ministry of Health said there were 9,981 active cases, the fewest since there were 9,252 on Jan. 13.

The government announced 770 new cases, 1,057 recoveries and four deaths.

Two people in each of the 60-to-79 and 80-and-over age groups died due to the virus. One fatality was reported in each of the north-central, northeast, Saskatoon and central-east regions.

The number of patients with COVID in Saskatchewan hospitals also fell Friday. It was the first time since Jan. 6 that the daily total dropped.

On Friday, there were 363 hospitalizations reported, 21 fewer than were announced Thursday.

There were 329 inpatient admissions (18 fewer than the previous day) and 34 intensive care cases (down three from Thursday).

Hospitalizations due to COVID in the Saskatoon zone fell by 15, to 186. The Regina region saw a decrease of seven hospitalizations, to 63.

A look at the numbers

The new cases reported Friday were in the Saskatoon (139), Regina (122), north-central (87), south-central (80), southeast (55), northwest (53), central-east (32), far northwest (26), northeast (26), far northeast (23), southwest (19) and central-west (13) zones.

The hometowns of 95 cases were pending.

The seven-day average of new cases fell to 867, or 72.0 cases per 100,000 people — the lowest it has been since Jan. 9.

To date, Saskatchewan has reported 121,516 cases and 110,530 cases are considered recovered.

The cases announced in Regina on Friday were detected in 357 tests reported to public health, meaning 34.2 per cent of tests returned a positive result.

The 329 inpatient cases in Saskatchewan health-care facilities comprised 133 hospitalizations for a COVID-related illness, 179 incidental COVID-19 infections, and 17 cases that hadn’t been determined.

There were 24 people in ICUs (including a PICU/NICU) for a COVID-related illness and 10 individuals who were in for incidental COVID infections.

There were 1,033 doses of COVID vaccines administered in the province, with 697 of those being second shots.

To date, 898,437 of the 1.86 million shots given in the province have been second shots.