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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.