COVID-19 in Sask: People 23 and up can book vaccine shots starting Friday

Saskatchewan residents aged 23 and up can book an appointment to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine beginning on Friday, officials have announced.

The age drop falls in line with a tentative schedule for future eligibility age drops released last week by the provincial government. 

That same schedule predicted that people as young as 12 will be able to access vaccines on May 20, provided the supply of doses pans out.

Meanwhile, the reporting of new Sasktchewan COVID-19 cases on Thursday followed a recent trend: several days in a row in which the daily bump in new cases fell below the previous seven days' average, only to be punctured by a higher-than-average daily spike.

Officials recorded 223 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, slightly above the previous seven days' average of 212 or 17.3 new cases for every 100,000 people.

Saskatoon led regions with 71 new cases, compared to 28 in the central east and 24 in Regina. 

Officials also confirmed five more deaths related to COVID-19 — the highest daily increase in deaths since April 27. 

The new deaths were among people from the following regions and age groups:

• One person aged 80 or over from the Regina area.
• One person aged 80 or over from the northwest.
• One person in their 70s from the far northeast.
• One person in their 70s from the north central area. 
• One person in their 60s from the far northeast. 

There are 161 infected patients in hospital provincewide, including 35 under intensive care.

One week ago, on May 6, there were 173 people in hospital, including 41 in ICU.