Sask. reports 829 new COVID cases, 14 deaths, uptick in booster shots

Saskatchewan’s expansion of eligibility for second COVID-19 booster shots has got people rolling up their sleeves.

According to the Ministry of Health’s epidemiological report released Thursday, there were 13,206 second booster shots given from April 17 through Saturday. That was up from 8,138 in the previous week.

A total of 14,886 booster doses were administered during the week, up from 9,624 between April 10 and 16. However, as of Saturday, only 48.4 per cent of the population aged 12 and up had received at least one booster.

On April 11, all people 70 and over and all residents of First Nations communities and the Northern Service Administration District who are 50 and over became eligible to get their second booster shots.

The age limit dropped this past Tuesday, when everyone 50 and over became eligible — but the numbers in Thursday’s update don’t reflect that change because the report only included data collected before Saturday.

The report also said there were 829 new COVID cases detected in 6,951 laboratory tests in the province between April 17 and Saturday, producing a test positivity rate of 11.7.

The cases were detected in the Saskatoon (231), Regina (141), central-east (92), southeast (72), south-central (55), northwest (47), north-central (44), far northeast (31), central-west (26), northeast (23), southwest (16), far northwest (six) and far north-central (two) zones. The hometowns of 43 cases were pending.

The case totals don’t include positive results on rapid antigen tests.

The weekly report said 14 more Saskatchewan residents had died due to COVID, increasing the provincial total to 1,310 as of Saturday.

There were six deaths reported in the Saskatoon zone, three in the central-east region and one in each of the northwest, north-central, northeast, Regina and south-central areas.

Five of the deaths were in the 80-and-over age group, five were in the 60-to-69 age range and two were in each of the 40-to-59 and 70-to-79 age categories.

The number of people with COVID in Saskatchewan hospitals fell by eight from the previous week, to 409. There were 20 people in intensive care units, down from 25 the week before.

The latest total included 166 COVID-related illnesses, 231 incidental infections and 12 cases that were under investigation.

There were 264 new lineage results reported during the week, all of which were Omicron. The Omicron BA.2 sublineage accounted for 69.7 per cent of the variants of concern reported during the week.

The report said there were 22 outbreaks during the week, with 15 in long-term care homes and seven in other care homes.

Vaccination update

Of those five and older in the province, 85.8 per cent had received at least one dose of a two-dose vaccine and 80.8 per cent had completed a series. Those numbers were the same as the week before.

The government also announced Saskatchewan’s supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine expires as of Saturday and the federal government isn’t getting any more doses.

Anyone wanting to get AstraZeneca to complete their primary series of two doses or for a booster dose should call 1-833-727-5829 to book an appointment.

The government reminded those people that anyone who got AstraZeneca for their first two doses can get an mRNA or protein-based vaccine for booster shots.

Paxlovid

The government said the eligibility for the Paxlovid antiviral treatment was being extended to everyone who tests positive with mild or moderate COVID symptoms and who are immunocompromised or 70 years and over with certain risk factors, regardless of their vaccination status.

“This is in addition to adults who are 18-54 years of age and are not fully vaccinated with a medical condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes, or are 55 to 69 years of age and are not fully vaccinated,” the government said.