COVID-19 Weekly EPI Report

May 13, 2022

3 minutes read

First, Second and Third Doses Add up to Improved Protection

During the week of May 1 to 7, 23,380 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the province of Saskatchewan. Ninety-seven (97) per cent of those were third and fourth booster doses.

Every booster dose administered helps provide optimal protection against the current Omicron BA.2 variant transmitting in the province, but all residents 12 years and older need their first and second doses before they are eligible for that additional dose.

Right now, you can get a vaccination appointment quickly through the Saskatchewan Health Authority and pharmacies through out the province.
You receive the full benefit of your dose two weeks after receiving the vaccine, which means a shot today will improve your protection against COVID-19 before the start of summer.
Even if you have contracted COVID-19, it is safe and recommended to receive a complete vaccination series and a third (booster) dose.
If you are 50 years and older, you are eligible to receive a fourth dose.

It’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccination. Book your appointment today.

Weekly COVID-19 Epi Report

Issued Thursdays, the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 integrated epidemiology (epi) report utilizes multiple data sources and includes laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths, tests, vaccination information provincially and by zones, as well as hospital and ICU census trends and distribution of rapid antigen tests. The epi report this week looks at data from Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2022. The hospitalization data is a comparison from May 4 to May 11, 2022.

The integrated epi report can be found online at saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19-cases.

Summary for the week of May 1-7, 2022

7,099 laboratory tests were performed in Saskatchewan reflecting 5.9 tests performed per 1,000 population. The number of tests was lower than the number of tests in the previous week (7,337).
Less than one in ten laboratory tests were positive. The weekly test positivity of 7.6 per cent is a decrease from the previous week (10.1 per cent). Test positivity was highest in rural South East and Central East zones this week.
710 new cases were confirmed reflecting about 0.6 laboratory-confirmed cases per 1,000 population and lower than the number of new cases in the previous week (765).
Almost half of laboratory-confirmed cases this week were 50 years and older (49.3 per cent).
There were 252 new lineage results reported this week. Of the 252 variants of concern identified by whole genome sequencing, 100 per cent were Omicron.
The Omicron BA.2 sublineage accounted for 94.8 per cent of the variants of concern reported this week, which was higher than the previous week (83.4 per cent). BA.2 sublineage is more transmissible compared to pre-variant 2020 COVID-19 and BA.1 sublineages but there is no current evidence of increased severity.
There were 19 newly-reported COVID-19 deaths (14 in the previous week).
Other respiratory viruses have higher test positivity in Saskatchewan than COVID-19. Currently, the majority of other respiratory virus detections in the province were processed by labs in Saskatoon and the Far North.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – 14 per cent test positivity
Influenza – 12 per cent test positivity
Enterorhinovirus – 11 per cent test positivity
There were 30.3 COVID-like illness patients per 1,000 emergency department visits which was lower than the average weekly rate in the previous six weeks (38.4 per week/1,000 visits).
Ten confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and care home settings were reported this week.
As of May 7, 2022, of the population five years and older, 85.8 per cent have received at least one dose of a two dose COVID-19 vaccine and 80.9 per cent have completed a series.
Among the population 18 years and older, 52.2 per cent had received at least one booster vaccination.
As of the week of May 8, there have been 397 Paxlovid prescriptions and two Remdesivir treatments provided.
More than 20.4 million rapid antigen test kits have been distributed in the province. They are easily accessible at more than 600 locations.