Vaccines continue to protect against severe COVID-19 outcomes in Sask., December data shows
The Government of Saskatchewan continues to recommend vaccines as the best defence against severe outcomes related to COVID-19, following the latest data on December cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Nearly 30 per cent of the 4,621 cases reported in Saskatchewan in December were unvaccinated, or individuals who tested positive within three weeks of their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Sixty per cent of the new cases reported in December were individuals who were fully vaccinated.
According to Health Canada, a percentage of individuals who are vaccinated may still become infected with COVID-19, but they are “very effective” in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.
Of the 4,621 COVID-19 cases reported in December, 65 cases, 1.4 per cent, resulted in hospitalizations with 31, 48 per cent, of those being unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
ICU rates were 3.5 per 100,000 cases for the unvaccinated and 0.4 per 100,000 cases for those with two doses.
Seven people died after testing positive for COVID-19 in December, four of whom – 57 per cent – were unvaccinated. No deaths were reported in those under 20 or those with three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In Saskatchewan, 869,541 people are fully vaccinated.
Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer addressed concerns of vaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19 in November, explaining that the trend was not a cause for concern due to a high percentage of the population being fully vaccinated.
“Eighty-one per cent of (Saskatchewan’s) population is fully vaccinated,” Shahab said at the time. “If 81 per cent of the population is seeing 50 cases, the rate per 100,000 is much lower versus the remaining 20 per cent of the population that is unvaccinated,” Dr. Saqib Shahab said.
Dr. Shahab said severe outcomes in people younger than 65 are mostly all unvaccinated.
Fifteen individuals were admitted to the ICU in December, 10 of whom – 67 per cent – were unvaccinated. Two ICU admissions were fully vaccinated individuals with underlying health conditions. No one admitted to the ICU in December was younger than 20.
“Based on the COVID-19 Vaccination and Breakthrough Infections report for the month of December, COVID-19 vaccinations continue to protect against the more severe COVID-19 illnesses,” the province concluded in its report.
Saskatchewan’s population is 1,180,867 as of October 2021, according to the provincial government. Not all Saskatchewan residents are eligible for vaccination.
Of the 2,804 cases in December with a second dose, 250, nine per cent, had comorbid conditions and 159, 5.7 per cent, were 65 and older.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
'All we need is a plug-in and a sink': B.C. helicopter charity delivers health care to remote Canada
Imagine your dentist arriving to help you via chopper. That is the aim of Helicopters Without Borders, a registered charity in B.C. specializing in bringing health care to remote communities, the sort of places you can only access quickly by air or water.
Aurora borealis returning to night skies across Canada this Friday: NOAA
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
Shell investigating a 'potential cybersecurity incident'
Oil and gas giant Shell says it is investigating a possible cybersecurity 'incident.'
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.