May 24 COVID-19 update: Step Two threshold met, no deaths, 103 new cases

Step Two on Re-Opening Road Map Starts on June 20 

Saskatchewan today reached the Step Two threshold on the province Re-Opening Roadmap, with over 70 per cent of Saskatchewan residents age 30 and older having received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

That means Step Two will begin on Sunday, June 20 - three weeks after Step One which begins on Sunday, May 30.

In Step Two, public health measures will be eased as follows:

No capacity thresholds on retail and personal care services, must maintain an occupancy that allows for physical distancing;

Restaurants and bars will have no table capacity thresholds, must maintain two metres of physical distancing or structural barriers between tables, dance floors and buffets remain closed;

150 person maximum capacity at event facilities, casinos, bingo halls, theatres, art galleries, libraries and recreational facilities, must maintain an occupancy that allows for physical distancing, restaurant guidelines apply at venues that serve food;

Long-term care and personal care home residents may have up to four visitors indoors and nine visitors outdoors; 

No change from Step One at gyms and fitness facilities, primary, secondary and post-secondary education and childcare;

All remaining restrictions on youth and adult sports will be lifted;

Limit of 15 people at private indoor gatherings, including household gatherings;

Limit of 150 people at public indoor gatherings and private and public outdoor gatherings; and 

Current province-wide masking mandate remains in place.

Premier Scott Moe thanked Saskatchewan people for doing their part and getting vaccinated.

“The reason we are able to do this, to lift these restrictions, is because Saskatchewan people are getting vaccinated,” Moe said. “And the vaccines are working. Vaccines are driving down case numbers and hospitalizations and making Saskatchewan safer.”

Every Saskatchewan resident age 12 and older is now eligible to receive their first dose of vaccine.  Moe urged everyone who has not done so already to get their first shot as soon as possible.

“When we get to 70 per cent of our entire adult population vaccinated, we can move to Step Three and remove almost all of the remaining public health orders,” Moe said.  “So let’s keep going.  “Please keep doing everything you are doing to protect yourself and those around you.  Keep following the public health orders.  And keep sticking it to COVID.  When it’s your turn, get your first shot, get your second shot, and let’s get things reopened and have a great Saskatchewan summer.”

Vaccines Reported

An additional 6,466 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 662,854.  

The 6,466 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 28; Far North Central, 8; Far North East, 14; North West, 649; North Central, 391; North East, 138; Saskatoon, 2,778; Central West, 69; Central East, 474; Regina, 1,177; South West, 56; South Central, 77; and South East, 444.  There were 163 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-six per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Seventy per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty-three per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

Second Dose Booking Available for Priority Populations

Second dose vaccinations are underway for anyone who is 80 and older or who received their first dose before March 1.  Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose.

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose.  Residents who meet at least one of these criteria will be eligible for their second dose.  The following table is a tentative guideline; timelines may change due to vaccine availability.  

Astra Zeneca is not included in this table as we await advice on the use of Astra Zeneca for timing of second doses.

Second dose vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

The current list of pharmacies offering vaccinations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.  If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

During your second dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised to ensure that you are receiving the same vaccine brand for your second dose.

At this time, public health is planning to offer your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to match the brand of your first dose.  National reviews of the safety and efficacy of interchanging the second dose brand are on-going and the provincial policy on maintaining the same brand for the second dose may be updated following this review.

Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 103 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 24, bringing the provincial total to 45,709 cases.  One case tested out of province was added to the Saskatoon zone.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 3; Far North East, 3; North West, 18; North Central, 3; Saskatoon, 34; Central West, 1; Central East, 10; Regina, 14; South West, 1; South Central, 4; and South East, 8.  Three new cases are pending residence information. Three previously reported case with pending residence were added to the North West (2) and North Central (1) zones.

Recoveries total 43,645 and 1,537 cases are considered active.

There are 133 people in hospital.  One hundred and five people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 8; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 39; Central East, 4; Regina, 44; South West, 1; South Central, 2; and South East, 3.  Twenty-eight people are in intensive care: North West, 2; North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 10; Central East, 1; and Regina, 13.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 142 (11.6 new cases per 100,000).  A chart comparing today's average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 2,386 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 23, 2021.

To date, 845,350 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of May 20, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 705,962 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 894,062.

As of May 23, 10,148 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 234; Far North East, 25; North West, 560; North Central, 375; North East, 58; Saskatoon, 1,541; Central West, 107; Central East, 556; Regina, 4,538; South West, 346; South Central, 711; and South East, 1,032.  There are 65 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are no new lineage results reported today.  Of the 5,431 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 5,273 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 124 are P.1 (Brazilian), 24 are B.1.617 (Indian) and 10 are B.1.351 (SA).

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Re-Open Saskatchewan Roadmap

Re-opening the province is based on the rapid expansion and delivery of larger volumes of COVID-19 vaccine, with the expectation that all residents in Saskatchewan over the age of 12 will have an opportunity to receive their first dose of vaccine by the end of May 2021.  It will occur in three steps, with approximately three weeks between each step.

The ability to quickly and efficiently Re-Open Saskatchewan will rely on three fundamental principles:

Everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated should be immunized as soon as possible - with the first available vaccine.

The province receives the supply of vaccines it is expecting in a timely manner.

Be patient and follow the public health orders in place.

Find the details of the plan at Saskatchewan.ca/re-open-roadmap.

Don't Let COVID-19 Hitch a Ride Home with You

We recognize that people within and outside the province may travel this long weekend, especially if they have a recreational property in Saskatchewan. This is not prohibited under Public Health Orders. However, we encourage you to reduce your risk by sticking close to your cabin or campsite and minimizing travel; coordinating errands to reduce stops; keep to your household bubble; visit outdoors as it's safer; and continue to follow Public Health Orders including limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings. In addition, maintain physical distancing, wear a mask and practice good hand hygiene.

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.