Murray Wood: Like ghosts on the prairie
Murray Wood says going back to the area your family is from shows how much some things change, and also shows how other ...
The Regina region accounted for nearly half of the 205 new COVID-19 cases reported in Saskatchewan on Monday.
The area reported 102 new cases, its second straight day with a triple-digit total. After announcing 86 cases on Friday and 91 on Saturday, the Regina zone had 105 cases Sunday.
There weren’t any new confirmed cases of variants of concern reported Monday in Saskatchewan, leaving the total to date at 156 (149 of the United Kingdom strain, seven of the South African mutation).
The Regina region has reported 141 of the confirmed cases and 640 of the 748 presumptive variant cases found so far in the province.
There are 1,476 active cases being reported in Saskatchewan, with 726 of those in the Regina region. The Saskatoon area has the second-most active cases, with 200.
Outbreaks have been declared at five Regina schools — St. Elizabeth, St. Gabriel, Ecole Du Parc, Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School and Dr. A.E. Perry — since Friday.
Schools in the city are set to begin remote learning, with some starting Wednesday and others moving online next Monday.
The provincial government also reminded people not to make unnecessary trips to and from the Regina region and, if possible, to hold off on expanding their bubbles to 10 people until the number of cases drop in the area.
The other new cases reported Monday were in the Saskatoon (28), north-central (13), south-central (12), far northeast (11), northeast (nine), central-east (seven), southeast (seven), northwest (six), far northwest (four), central-west (one) and southwest (one) zones.
The hometowns of four cases are pending.
The seven-day average of new cases is 159, or 13.0 per 100,000 population. The total number of cases in Saskatchewan since last March now stands at 31,842.
The province reported 176 more recoveries Monday, increasing that total to date to 29,948. There weren’t any deaths reported Monday, leaving that number at 418.
Hospitalizations increased to 143, with 28 people in intensive care. The ICU cases are in the Regina (15), Saskatoon (10), central-east (two) and south-central (one) regions.
The 2,814 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Sunday increased the total to date to 633,275.
Vaccination update
On Sunday, the provincial government said this week’s shipment of Pfizer doses to Saskatchewan would be reduced because of damage to four thermal shippers.
On Monday, the government said the shippers are not damaged, so the 5,850 doses that were expected to be delayed will be delivered to Saskatchewan this week as planned.
There were 4,344 vaccine doses delivered Sunday, including 2,362 at the AstraZeneca drive-through at Regina’s Evraz Place.
Of the province’s total Sunday, 3,116 shots were given in the Regina region, with 489 in the Saskatoon area, 348 in the central-east zone, 277 in the far northwest and 114 in the southeast.
To date, 144,171 vaccinations have been done in the province.
