Sask.'s Delta variant cases double in past week
Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 case numbers are at their lowest point in 2021, but the threat remains with Delta variant cases doubling in the past week.
"Delta, just like the alpha wave, will likely become the dominant strain at some point in Canada. Obviously, we’re watching it closely and against, the case contact investigation piece is really helping to keep it in check," Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, said.
Due to higher vaccination rates, the delta variant hasn’t taken hold quite as quickly as the Alpha strain during the spring. Saskatchewan has reported 125 sequenced delta variant cases so far, compared to 6,476 alpha cases.
The number of delta variant cases have almost doubled from 68 a week ago.
A similar trend is being seen across Canada, where as of last Friday, there were more than 2,000 cases, an increase of 66 per cent in a week.
"The effective reproductive rate of delta is 1.44, so every 10 people who have delta variant could potentially be passing it on to 14 people, that’s a pretty high reproductive rate," Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine, an epidemiology and community health professor at the University of Saskatchewan said.
Muhajarine said due to the increased transmissibility and more severe symptoms the delta variant presents, it makes getting as many people fully vaccinated imperative to avoid a fourth wave in the province.
"We need to get two doses, not just one dose," he said. "One dose is not going to protect us against the delta variant, only 33 per cent efficacy, whereas two doses will bring us up to 88 per cent."
Saskatchewan is beginning to come out the other side of its third wave, which was largely fuelled by the alpha variant.
The province’s seven-day case average is at its lowest point since Oct. 31 of last year with five new cases per 100,000 people.
The provincial test positivity rate also dropped below two per cent at 1.77 for the first time this year.
"We also know that summer, even last summer as we reopened, we had low case numbers, but we did have sporadic outbreaks throughout the province and I think that’s going to be something we need to be aware of," Dr. Shahab said.
Saskatchewan reported 32 new cases on Wednesday, which is the lowest single day total since Oct. 18, 2020.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.