Province reports 14 deaths and 496 new cases over weekend

Premier suggests new restrictions might be on way as numbers climb

Just as the province is pondering further public health measures, Saskatchewan reported 11 Covid-19-related deaths on Saturday — the highest, single-day increase since the pandemic began — then added three more deaths on Sunday to bring the provincial total to 89 lives lost.

Of the 14 people that died, five of the individuals were age 80 or older and in Saskatoon. In Regina, four individuals were 80 or older and one was in their 70s. One was in their 50s in Saskatoon and one in their 60s in the North East Zone. Two deaths were reported in the South East zone — one resident in their 70s and one 80 or older.

Saskatchewan reported 496 new cases this weekend, bringing the provincial total to 11,971 cases.

Saskatoon added 131 new cases and Regina had 114. The rest of the active cases were in the North West (82), North Central (38), Far North East (28), Far North West (23), Central East (21), South Central (18), South East (15), North East (11), South West (six) and Central West (five) zones. Two new cases currently have pending residence information.

The new cases come as the provincial government is mulling tighter restrictions ahead of the holidays. After not closing the door on potentially loosening gathering restrictions earlier this month, Premier Scott Moe is now suggesting more might be coming with rising cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the province. The current measures in place — which provided even stricter limits on gathering sizes, such as five in a private dwelling with exceptions for larger immediate households — expire on Thursday.

Speaking with reporters late last week, Moe said, “It does seem that it will be improbable that we are going to be able to relax those restrictions in any way on December the 17th, but we'll have more to say as we get closer.”

Saskatchewan has the second-highest rate of active infections per capita in the country. The province is behind Alberta and slightly ahead of Manitoba, but currently has the most relaxed measures in place among the Prairie Provinces.

Despite current gathering limits, a rally attracting roughly 300 people or so convened on the steps of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina on Saturday afternoon in opposition to the government's measures intended to curb the spread of the virus. Two of the organizers received $2,800 public health order tickets.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 264 (or 21.8 new cases per 100,000 population).

Some 4,188 cases are considered active, with 1,249 in Saskatoon and 1,115 in Regina. There were also 814 new recoveries reported this weekend.

A total of 117 people are currently in hospital, with 23 in intensive care — seven in Saskatoon, nine in Regina and six in the North Central zone and one in the South West.

On Friday and Saturday, 6,570 COVID-19 tests were processed in Saskatchewan.