COVID-19 in Sask.: 223 new cases and 5 more deaths

Saskatchewan is reporting its lowest active caseload of COVID-19 since the beginning of September, but also five new deaths.

As of Wednesday there are 2,440 confirmed active cases in Saskatchewan, according to the government's COVID-19 dashboard.

It's the lowest number of known active cases since Sept. 1, when the province counted 2,372.

On Wednesday the province reported 223 new cases, an increase of 97 from Tuesday, which saw the lowest daily case count since Aug. 16..

More than one-quarter of the new cases were in children 11 years or younger, according to the province's dashboard.

Of the new cases among people age 12 and older, 31.1 per cent were in fully vaccinated people.

The seven-day average of daily new cases dropped to 235 on Wednesday from 308 a week ago.

The province said there are 271 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including 57 in intensive care.

Of the hospitalized patients, 71.6 per cent were not fully vaccinated, according to the province.

The ICU number does not include 16 patients that have been transferred so far to Ontario to take some of the strain off Saskatchewan's system.

With the five new deaths, the death toll in the province since the pandemic began is 832.

One of the people with the disease who died was aged 40 to 59. The other four were in the 60 to 79 age group. 

A total of 160 people with COVID-19 have died within the last 30 days.

Here are the new case counts broken down by region:

• Far northwest: 15.

• Far northeast: nine.

• Northwest: 18.

• North central: 18.

• Northeast: three.

• Saskatoon: 54.

• Central west: one.

• Central east: 23.

• Regina: 35.

• Southwest: three.

• South central: five.

• Southeast: 24.

Residence information was pending for 15 new cases.

Testing and vaccination numbers

Testing numbers were also up again on Wednesday.

On Tuesday the province announced 1,496 new COVID-19 tests — the lowest number of daily new tests since mid-August.

That number rose by more than 57 per cent to 2,608 new tests reported Wednesday.

Saskatchewan health-care workers also administered 2,985 new doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

On Tuesday, 952 people received their first shot and 2,033 their second dose.

As of Wednesday, 785,377 people in the province are fully vaccinated.