Premier Scott Moe held a press conference on Monday alongside Chief medical health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab to announce the first two deaths in the province resulting from complications related to COVID-19.聽
鈥淭he thoughts of all Saskatchewan people are with you during this very difficult time,鈥� said Moe. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 sad news is a sobering reminder for all of us that COVID-19 is a dangerous and deadly disease,鈥� he added.聽
According to a media release, the two Saskatchewan residents died in separate parts of the province in hospital on Sunday. One case was related to travel; both people were in their 70s.聽
Shahab said the second death related to COVID-19 is linked to community transmission, although the investigation is ongoing.聽
鈥淲hat we know so far is that there was no link to the individual with international travel,鈥� said Shahab.聽
鈥淎t this point, we are calling it community transmission. We do try to gather further information as much as we can, to see if there is a link to another case or to any event or travel, but at this point we don鈥檛 have that,鈥� he added.聽
Shahab said during the press conference this is a sad milestone in the fight against COVID-19. 鈥淲e have to remember while it is very unfortunate that in some cases there are deaths, we also have to look at there are now a total of 14 people who have recovered as well,鈥� said Shahab.聽
As of March 30, Saskatchewan has 20 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 bringing the total to 176, up 72 cases from March 27. Of the 176 cases, five are in hospital across Saskatchewan, four in acute care and one in ICU. One inpatient case is located in north Saskatchewan and three others are in Saskatoon. One ICU case is located in Regina.聽
According to the province, at least eight cases are a result of local transmission, with the rest being travel-related or cluster-related due to exposure at mass gatherings. Five of the cases are aged 19 and under, 80 cases are in the 20-44 age range, 62 are in the 45-64 age range and 29 are in the 65-plus age range. Fifty-five per cent of cases are males and 45 per cent are females.聽
Six more people have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total to 14 to date. As of March 30, 9,651 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Saskatchewan, an increase of 565 from Sunday alone.聽
Moe said the Saskatchewan has the second highest testing per capita in the country. According to the media release there are more than 40 communities in Saskatchewan where COVID-19 testing is available and the province will continue to be expanded as the requirements permit.
