There are double the number of recoveries compared to new cases of COVID-19 in the province’s daily update, with 32 new cases and 64 recoveries. The province also reports a person in their seventies from the Northwest zone has died. To date, there have been 48,537 confirmed cases of the virus in Saskatchewan. There are 75 people in the hospital with 12 in intensive care, and the seven-day average of new COVID-19 case numbers is 61, which is the lowest seven-day average since last October.

As of Thursday, the time span between first and second shots will shorten to 28 days. The provincial government says with the Delta variant circulating in Saskatchewan, it is recommended that everyone receive their second dose vaccinations as soon as they are eligible.

Vaccines Reported

An additional 18,423 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 1,023,698.

The additional 18,423 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 549; Far North Central, 49; Far North East, 402; North West, 845; North Central, 776; North East, 1,138; Saskatoon, 4,243; Central West, 892; Central East, 1,716; Regina, 4,198; South West, 628; South Central, 899; and South East, 1,572.  There were 516 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Eighty per cent of those over the age of 40+ have received their first dose.  Seventy-five per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Seventy per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose, while sixty-nine per cent of those 12+ have also received their first dose.

Saskatchewan has received a Moderna shipment of 86,660 doses for the week of June 21.

Note: Age is calculated on the date of the most recent dose.  Someone age 69 at their first dose and 70 at their second will now be counted in the 70-79 group for both doses, resulting in a decrease in the 60-69 first dose number.

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Second Dose Schedule 

Starting tomorrow, June 24, all Saskatchewan residents who have received their first dose of vaccine will now be eligible to receive their second dose following a 28 day interval.

Anyone previously eligible based on age and anyone who received their first dose on or before May 15 are now eligible for their second vaccine.  Reminder: once eligible to receive your second dose, you are always eligible.

Second doses are also available in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District to all residents 18+, based on the product’s recommended interval from their first dose.

Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose.

A limited number of first doses of AstraZeneca have been administered since May 5 to those individuals who have contraindication for mRNA vaccines.  If you received AstraZeneca as recommended by your health care provider after May 5, arrangements will be made to administer your second dose based on current, recommended intervals.

When all persons 12 and older become eligible to receive their second doses starting June 24, second doses can be completed any time after 28 days.  With the Delta variant circulating in Saskatchewan, it remains recommended that all residents receive second dose vaccinations as soon as you are eligible.

Remember that while one dose of COVID-19 vaccine provides good protection against transmission, two doses are required for optimal protection.  Please receive your second dose as soon as you are eligible and maintain all public health measures until at least two weeks after your second dose.

As advised by National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on June 17, Pfizer and Moderna (mRNA) vaccines are interchangeable for second doses.  Residents who received Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose should take whichever of those two vaccines is available to them when they become eligible for their second dose.  If you received AstraZeneca as a first dose, you may also receive either Pfizer or Moderna for a second dose.  Both mRNA vaccines have been approved by Health Canada as safe and effective and allow residents to become fully vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.

Vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

As the SHA is encouraging first dose vaccinations, please review clinic information carefully to ensure you are selecting the right clinic for you.

If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

During your second-dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised.  Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 32 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on June 23, bringing the provincial total to 48,537 cases.

One case was reassigned to the Far North East Zone.  Two cases were determined to be out-of-province and removed from the Regina zone.  Two cases were Saskatchewan residents tested out-of-province; one case was added to the Far North West zone, while the other was added to the North West zone.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 2; North West, 2; North Central, 1; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 10; Central East, 3; Regina, 8; and South East, 4.  One case is pending residence information.

One new death is being reported today in the 70 to 79 age group from the North West zone.

Recoveries total 47,365 and 607 cases are considered active.

There are 75 people in hospital. Sixty-three are receiving inpatient care: Far North West, 1; North West, 7; North Central, 9; Saskatoon, 29; Central East, 3; Regina, 11; and South Central, 3.  Twelve people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 4; and Regina, 5.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 61 (5 per 100,000).  This is the lowest seven-day average since October of 2020.  A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past several months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 1,807 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on June 22, 2021.

To date, 905,867 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of June 21, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 762,837 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 954,802.

As of June 22, 12,020 Variants of Concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 299; Far North Central, 1; Far North East, 83; North West, 782; North Central, 618; North East, 79; Saskatoon, 2,089; Central West, 145; Central East, 644; Regina, 4,782; South West, 399; South Central, 887; and South East, 1,133.  There are 79 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There is one new lineage result reported for Variants of Concern today.  Of the 6,904 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 6,476 are Alpha (B.1.1.7), 293 are Gamma (P.1), 125 are Delta (B.1.617.2) and 10 are Beta (B.1.351).

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Limit COVID Transmission in your Community — Get Tested 

Getting tested assists the monitoring of active cases in the province, particularly with variants of concern in Saskatchewan.   Even if experiencing mild symptoms, stay home and seek a COVID-19 test.   Even if you have been recently vaccinated, it can take up to three weeks for your immune system to respond from a first dose and two weeks after a second dose.  Vaccines are not a cure preventing all possible transmission and you remain at risk of contracting COVID-19 during that time.

COVID-19 testing is available to all residents.  You can still receive a referral for COVID-19 testing through HealthLine 811 or a health care provider, and drive-thru testing sites are available without a referral seven days a week in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton and Prince Albert.  Information on symptoms to watch for and how to get tested is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-testing.

Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap – Step Two Now Underway

Saskatchewan has now entered Step Two of re-opening, with in-person gathering limits increasing across a number of sectors and for private gatherings.  More information on the changes within Step Two of the Re-Opening Roadmap are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open-roadmap.

Guidance for individual sectors has been updated and is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.

Saskatchewan’s Re-Opening Roadmap – All Public Health Measures to Be Lifted July 11

With more than 70 per cent of residents over the age of 18 having received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the full implementation of Step 3 of the Re-Opening Roadmap will occur on Sunday, July 11.

That means that as of Sunday, July 11, all public health orders will be removed.  This includes the removal of the province-wide mandatory masking order, and the removal of limits on events and gathering sizes.

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-know-your-risk.