A breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan during September confirms that the majority of cases are occurring in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals.
An analysis of the 13,141 COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan during September shows that 71 per cent were among individuals who were unvaccinated or had contracted COVID less than three weeks after their first dose, 6.9 per cent of cases were in partially vaccinated individuals, while 21.1 per cent of cases were in fully vaccinated persons. Of the 2,904 cases in fully vaccinated people, 11 per cent of cases impacted persons with comorbid conditions, and 21.2 per cent occurred in patients aged 70 and older.
The statistical report noted that of the 449 individuals hospitalized with COVID during September, 77.6 per cent were unvaccinated or persons or among individuals who tested positive within three weeks of receiving their first dose. Of these 449 hospitalized individuals, a total of 13 were aged 19 years and younger, while 12 were aged 12 years and younger.
September’s report highlights that of 83 individuals admitted to ICU, 87.9 per cent were unvaccinated or tested positive within three weeks of their first vaccination. There were just two cases in partially vaccinated persons, and 10 admissions were in fully vaccinated persons.
With the high instances of COVID across the province as October starts, Saskatchewan residents are advised to take precautions over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
Public health officials have asked for the public to take the following precautions to break chains of transmission and help prevent further pressures on healthcare system capacity:
- Meet and greet each other outdoors as much as possible. While the risk of transmission is not zero, it is lower.
- If gathering indoors, be aware of the vaccination status of all your guests. Children under 12 are at elevated risk of transmission as they cannot be vaccinated at this time.
- Close quarters and shared food service remains high-risk for COVID-19 transmission.
- If you are unvaccinated, you should not gather with family and friends this long weekend, as you are putting them at risk.
- If gathering in a public place like a restaurant or enjoying long weekend activities, follow the masking and/or proof of vaccination or test requirement of that location.
In the Southwest while all individuals in the age 70 plus category are above 80 per cent fully vaccinated, there are lagging numbers in all other age groups. The 60 to 69 age group remains just below the 80 per cent mark, the 50 to 59 age group is just below 70 per cent fully vaccinated, the 40 to 49 age group is just over 60 per cent fully vaccinated. The concerning numbers fall in the 30 to 39 age group where below 60 per cent are fully vaccinated, and only half of individuals in the 18 to 29 age group are fully vaccinated. In the 12 to 17 age group just over 60 per cent of those children have received one dose, while just over 50 per cent are fully vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, across Saskatchewan there were 340 people in hospital with COVID, 267 were receiving inpatient care and 73 were in intensive care. Of the 340 people in hospital, 259 of those COVID cases were in persons not fully vaccinated.
Daily provincial COVID-19 statistics by age, date and geographic zones including active cases, recoveries, confirmed variants of concern and vaccination information can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.
