Sask. records 18 COVID-19 deaths in last two weeks: CRISP report

Another 18 people died from COVID-19 in Saskatchewan between Jan. 29 and Feb. 11, according to the province's newest respiratory illness surveillance report.

In the previous two weeks 18 people died, and in the first two weeks of 2023, 16 people died.

All the new deaths attributed to the virus were in people aged 60 and up, according to the Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) report.

The province said that COVID-19 test positivity in Saskatchewan was 6.4 per cent in the most recent week. That's an increase from 4.9 per cent in the third week of January.

There were 482 positive COVID-19 laboratory tests recorded in the last two weeks.  

Cases are largely in the 20 to 64 years (44 per cent) and 65 and older (43 per cent) age groups.

Only four COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in the past two weeks. Hospitalizations for those with the virus decreased from 79 to 59 admissions per week, according to the CRISP report. 

The province found that fewer than half of people aged 50 and older — 47 per cent — have had more than one booster dose. 

No deaths due to influenza were reported in Saskatchewan in the past six weeks.

RSV cases and hospitalizations decreasing

Detections of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, cases have decreased from 164 detections mid-January to 106 in the past week.

RSV cases continue to affect the pediatric age group the most, according to CRISP. In the most recent surveillance week, more than half of the cases were in people between the ages of zero and four.  

RSV hospitalizations for the week of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, decreased by 28 per cent compared to the previous week, from 57 to 41 admissions. Meanwhile, RSV ICU admissions for the week of Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, 2023 decreased by 87 per cent compared to the previous week, from eight to one admission.

Children ages zero to 19 years old made up 69 per cent of RSV hospitalizations and ICU admissions over the past two weeks.