COVID-19 in Sask: Number of infected patients under intensive care remains at all-time high

For the second day in a row, the number of Saskatchewan COVID-19 patients under intensive care remains at an all-time high for the province at 32.

Health officials also reported three more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the province's total coronavirus death toll to 154. All three of the latest deaths were in Saskatoon: one person in their 30s, one in their 60s and one 80 or older.

The addition of 147 new known cases in the province was outweighed by another 378 recoveries, bringing Saskatchewan's current known cumulative caseload to 15,160.

Of those people, 151 are in hospital, including those in intensive care units. 

The new cases were found in the following zones: far north west (four), far north east (25), north west (nine), north central (10), north east (five), Saskatoon (13), central east (seven), Regina (44), south west (two), south central (three) and south east (17).  

The update said the province's seven-day average of daily new cases is 152, or 12.5 new cases per 100,000 people.

While cases numbers are down, the province's test positivity rate — which is between seven and nine per cent — remains concerning, said Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer. 

On Tuesday, 1,475 COVID-19 tests were processed in the province, down from 2,438 on Monday. 

"We did expect to see a reduced testing over the holidays," Shahab said. 

Outbreak at Regina care home stabilizing

The once-severe outbreak at the Parkside Extendicare private home in Regina — which at its worst had infected more than three-quarters of the home's original 200 inhabitants and has killed 36 residents so far — has stabilized further, according to the latest update to residents' families.

No new deaths and no new infections among residents were reported by Extendicare late Tuesday. The number of infected staff was down to 11.

However, 36 Parkside residents had been moved to other facilities during the outbreak: Pioneer Village — another seniors centre in Regina — and Broadview Union Hospital, located east of the capital.

Extendicare has not reported on the conditions of those transferred residents. 

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority confirmed that four of the 25 people transferred to Pioneer Village remain infected (23 of the 25 initially tested positive) while three infected people have died.

That brings the total associated death toll in the Parkside outbreak to 39. Extendicare had reported 36 deaths as of late Tuesday.

The 11 Parkside residents moved to Broadview Union Hospital had already recovered from COVID-19 when transferred, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said. 

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