Regina's active COVID-19 case rate is the lowest in Sask.
Regina was once the epicentre of Saskatchewan’s third wave of COVID-19 as the Alpha variant pushed case numbers to record highs.
The province has seen case numbers climb again since reopening on July 11, but the provincial capital hasn’t seen the drastic increases seen in other areas like Saskatoon and Far North regions.
Public health experts don’t know how long that will last.
"Regina is not a sealed community," Nazeem Muhajarine, a community health and epidemiology professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said. "People are circulating who are carrying the virus, who are not vaccinated and so, Regina will probably follow the pattern."
As of Monday, Regina has the lowest active cases per 100,000 in Saskatchewan with 19, while the next lowest is the Central East zone at 43.
Saskatoon’s active case rate is currently four times higher than Regina’s at 73.
When the public health measures were lifted, Regina had the second-most active cases with 77, while Saskatoon sat at 56. Since then, Saskatoon has seen an increase of 187 to 246, leading the province, and Regina’s have dropped by 20 to 51.
There have been 49 new cases reported in Regina since the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ home opener on Aug. 6, which was the first mass gathering in the province since the start of the pandemic.
By comparison, Saskatoon has seen 264 people test positive over that time and has hosted events like the Saskatoon Exhibition and Jazz Festival.
"When a large number of people are gathering in Regina for our favourite football team, they’re coming from all over the province, not just Regina, and there will be opportunities for a lot of different transmission chains to begin," he said.
Muhajarine said removing all restrictions has allowed the virus to spread freely among the unvaccinated.
"The time to get ahead and really drive the last few nails in COVID-19 is when we were on top of it, when we actually suppressed it… we missed that opportunity," he said.
"Political decisions have to lineup with science… political decisions have not always lined up with science in this province to a degree we would want to see."
The Delta variant is fuelling the rise in cases around Saskatchewan.
During last week’s Physicians Town Hall hosted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Dr. Cory Neudorf stated that on its current trend, Delta was quickly moving towards becoming the dominant strain.
"We’re starting to see the Delta variant taking over in most parts of the province now and it’s just a matter of time before it spreads and becomes the dominant variant," Dr. Neudorf said.
Muhajarine said Regina’s high vaccine uptake is protecting residents from Delta taking hold.
Regina currently has the highest percentage of residents fully vaccinated at 60 per cent, while only four regions have seen uptake reach the upper 50 per cent.
"We in Saskatchewan are stuck with that first dose and we have been stuck since June," Muhajarine said. "That’s why very deliberately kickstarting the first dose uptake by measures like proof of vaccination documents is the right thing to do."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
What we've learned so far in the Trump hush money trial and what to watch for as it wraps up
Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American president.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Sentencing trial set to begin for Florida man who executed 5 women at a bank in 2019
Zephen Xaver walked into a central Florida bank in 2019, fatally shot five women and then called police to tell them what he did. Now 12 jurors will decide whether the 27-year-old former prison guard trainee is sentenced to death or life without parole.
'How do you get hypothermia in a prison?' Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates
The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: "unbearable" conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia.
U.S. ambassador 'not aware' of any plans for Trudeau-Trump meeting
Canada's Ambassador to the United States says she's 'not aware' of any plans for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with former U.S. president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before the November American election.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Economists to have a close eye on April inflation report as BoC rate decision nears
Forecasters expect this week's inflation report to show Canada's inflation rate fell last month, but financial markets are still unsure whether a June interest rate cut is in the cards for the Bank of Canada.
Flammable kids' sleepwear, salmonella-contaminated chips: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.