REGINA — While Saskatchewan’s new daily case numbers have decreased below a three digit number for the first time in weeks, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 still remain high and experts are keeping an eye on a new Western-prevalent variant.
The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre provided an update on the provincial COVID-19 response on Nov. 9, before the province released a weekly and monthly data roundup later in the day.
Saskatchewan had 86 new COVID-19 cases on Nov. 9, with a total of 1,019 new cases since Nov. 2. In comparison, the province reported 503 new daily cases exactly one month ago on Oct. 9.
October as a whole recorded 10,018 new cases. Of those cases, 580 or 5.8 per cent were partially vaccinated, and 2,648 or 26.4 per cent were fully vaccinated — and of those fully vaccinated, 604 or 22 per cent had comorbid conditions and 595 or 22 per cent ere over the age of 65.
Active cases are now at 1,424. Recoveries in the past week outnumbered new cases at 1,398, and fifteen deaths were reported. Saskatchewan has now seen a total of 874 deaths related to the pandemic.
The month of October collectively reported 78 deaths, with 53 recorded as unvaccinated or with only one dose.
The seven day average of cases is currently at 146, or 12.1 per 100,000.
A total of 193 individuals are currently in hospital, with 96 individuals in ICU — 50 due to COVID and 46 with non-COVID related illness.
Fifteen Saskatchewan patients are still currently being treated out of province in Ontario ICUs. Five patients have passed away while still out of province, while seven others have returned to Saskatchewan.
The PEOC indicated during it's update that more Saskatchewan patients may be transported in the future, after halting the process last week.
Eleven residents have received monoclonal antibody treatments, since the arrival of the therapy on Oct. 22.
The population has also reached 80 per cent fully vaccinated, with 86 per cent having received one dose of the vaccine.
Cases of the AY.25 and AY.27 variants, a subtype of the Delta strain that is being dubbed the “Western variant” due to its presumed origin in western Canada and the U.S., have been found in Saskatchewan.
Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said that the subtype variant does not appear to be any more concerning than the Delta variant, or that they are producing more adverse side effects.
Shahab said that residents don’t need to be more concerned about the AY sublineages, at this time.
“The sublinage AY may just transmit more rapidly than the original Delta stream, and we are watching very closely to see if they may or may not have some vaccine [immunity but] at this point, we don’t think so,” said Shahab.
More detailed data on COVI-19 in Saskatchewan is available on the province's online dashboard at dashboard.saskatchewan.ca.
