Programming error limited Sask. COVID-19 death, recovery reporting in January
A programming error limited Saskatchewan COVID-19 death and recovered case data reporting in January, according to the Government of Saskatchewan.
The province said an internal audit of COVID-19 reporting systems was launched after a “notable length of time” passed without a new death being reported. The audit revealed a database error created by a programming parameter of Dec. 31, 2021.
“As a result of that, there are several anomalies that were identified, including potential missing data, which has been corrected to ensure accuracy and transparency in how data is collected and reported to the public,” Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said during a press conference Friday.
Following the audit, nine previously unreported COVID-19 deaths were added to the province’s total on Friday.
The error occurred on a program the government uses for its COVID-19 data called Panorama.
“There’s always a refresh that happens in January because the data filters have to be reset, the data filters usually run until the end of the calendar year, which was the issue in this case,” Shahab said.
Shahab said the nine additional deaths occurred between Jan. 1 and 21, but did not have the exact dates. All of the deaths were in people over the age of 60, including four in the 80-plus category.
Premier Scott Moe said he was “saddened” to learn about the additional COVID-19 deaths, in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“It is troubling that this information was not being properly reported in the government’s daily COVID-19 updates,” Moe said. “However, Saskatchewan continues to report the lowest per capita COVID-19 fatality rate in Canada for the month of January, below provinces that have introduced the strictest lockdown policies.”
The premier said the province will continue to track COVID-19 data closely, but he does not expect additional public health measures and restrictions will be introduced.
Shahab said some historic hospitalization data has also been updated, including 11 COVID-19 ICU admissions and six inpatient admissions. An additional 2,233 historic resolved COVID-19 cases will also be added to the province’s totals.
Shahab said further reviews of the COVID-19 dashboard and data base will continue, to ensure the information is as “timely and accurate as possible.”
The province noted that this issue does not impact the number of new cases, hospitalizations and ICU statistics posted throughout January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.