REGINA -- There are four new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, the province announced on Monday. For the first time since the novel virus was initially confirmed in the province, the number of new recoveries exceeded the number of new cases with 14.
This is also the smallest increase in new cases since March 18.
The province says that out of the total 253 cases, 169 are considered "active." This number represents confirmed cases, minus recoveries and deaths.
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The number of active cases is down from Sunday to Monday. Premier Scott Moe said it’s too soon to tell whether this will be a trend, however the news is good.
“It shows what we’re doing is working,” Moe said. "You are making a difference, you are saving lives."
Unchanged from Sunday, four people remain in hospital. Two patients are receiving inpatient treatment and one patient is in the ICU in Saskatoon. One person is in the ICU in Regina.
To date, 81 people have recovered from the virus in Saskatchewan, with 14 new recoveries on Monday.
One hundred and twelve cases are considered travel related. Seventy-seven cases are community contacts including mass gatherings, 14 have no known exposure and 50 are still under investigation.
Saskatoon continues to see the greatest number of cases in the province with 127. The province said this is due to more people returning from travel in the area.
Fifty-one cases are located in Regina, 47 in the north, 15 in the south, 10 in Saskatchewan's central region and three in the far north.
There are 110 cases in people aged 20 to 44, 89 in people aged 45 to 64, 43 in people over 65 and 11 in people under 19.
A total of 53 per cent of cases are in men and 47 per cent are in women.
The province says 14,178 tests have been performed. Saskatchewan has the second highest rate of testing per capita in the country.
The next provincial update will take place at 2:30 p.m., and will be streamed live at CTVNewsRegina.ca.
More information from the Government of Saskatchewan can be found at saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus
SaskAlert App
The province in encouraging members of the public to download the SaskAlert App for accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19.
Users can choose to receive information for the entire province, or for a municipality or First Nation.
If an emergency occurs, a tone will sound even when the app is closed. The app will provide information on the emergency and instructions on how to stay safe.
The app is available for download on Android and Apple here.
Concerns over personal protective equipment
According to SHA’s Scott Livingstone, there is no shortage of personal protective equipment in the province, and healthcare workers are not being asked to ration supplies.
Moe says the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will provide an in depth briefing on Wednesday April 8. This briefing will include modelling scenarios for the future and an overview of the provinces surge capacity plans. Updates from the SHA will continue to take place weekly on Tuesdays.
