COVID-19 in Sask: 74 new cases and 2 new deaths

More Saskatchewan residents will be eligible for their second COVID-19 shot on Thursday, just three days before the province enters Step 2 of its reopening plan.

Anyone 45 or older in the province as well as people who received their first dose on or before May 1 will be eligible toget their second COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday.

Second doses are also available to residents 18 and older living in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.

An additional 12,013 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the province Tuesday, bringing the total number to 922,335.

According to the Saskatchewan government, the province is still one per cent point away from reaching the first dose vaccination threshold to trigger Step 3 of its reopening plan.

As of Wednesday, 69 per cent of residents 18 and older have received their first dose. Meanwhile, 67 per cent of people 12 and up have received their first shot.

Everyone 12 and older is expected to become eligible for their second shot on June 24.

In Regina, the drive-thru clinic at Evraz Place is open on Wednesday until 4 p.m. CST. as well as Friday and Saturday.

Saskatoon's Prairieland Park drive-thru site will be open to administer Pfizer shots Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.CST.

74 new cases

The province reported 74 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in Saskatchewan so far to 48,125.

Health officials also announced two more deaths related to COVID-19. One person was aged 80 or older and wasfrom the northwest region, and one person was aged 70 to 79 and was from the central east region. The province's total pandemic death toll is now 562.

The new seven-day average of 72 (5.9 per 100,000) is the lowest since Nov.1, 2020, according to the government's COVID-19 update.

A total of 726 cases are currently considered active in the province.

The new cases reported Wednesday are in the following provincial zones:

• Far northwest: one.

• Northwest: four.

• North central: five.

• Northeast: four.

• Saskatoon: 16.

• Central east: six.

• Central west: four.

• Regina: 29

• South central: one.

• Southeast: three.

• Southwest: one.

Residence information is pending for one other new case.

As of Wednesday there are 92 infected Saskatchewan residents in hospital, including 12 people under intensive care. In comparison, the province reported 17 people in ICU on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, the province identified 11,787 variants of concern in Saskatchewan.