COVID-19 in Sask.: Record-setting 81 patients in ICU as of Saturday

Saskatchewan is reporting 411 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, as well as three more deaths from the illness.

That brings the total provincial death toll from the pandemic to 776 — up from 630 one month ago.

According to the province's online COVID-19 dashboard, nearly a third of the new cases reported Saturday (29.9 per cent) were in children under the age of 12, who are not eligible to be vaccinated.

Of the new cases involving those 12 and up, over 70 per cent were people who are not fully vaccinated.

The province is now reporting 4,297 active COVID-19 cases.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is now 367, or 30.4 new cases per 100,000 people. That number has been dropping since Oct. 12, when the seven-day average was 487.

Saskatchewan reported 327 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Saturday, including a record-breaking 81 patients in intensive care. Of the 327 patients, just under 75 per cent were not fully vaccinated, the province's dashboard says.

Nearly three-quarters of those hospitalized with the illness as of Saturday were not fully vaccinated, the province's update says.

The new cases reported Saturday are located in the following zones:

• Far northwest: 18.
• Far northeast: 21.
• Northwest: 51.
• North central: 58.
• Northeast: 18.
• Saskatoon: 98.
• Central west: nine.
• Central east: 39.
• Regina: 49.
• Southwest: seven.
• South central: eight.
• Southeast: 19.

Location information was pending for 16 more cases.

There were 3,277 more COVID-19 tests performed in Saskatchewan since Friday's update.

As well, 4,478 more COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, including 1,968 first doses.