COVID-19 in Sask: 34 new cases Monday, largest single-day increase so far

Thirty-four new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Saskatchewan on Monday, May 4, the single largest spike in a day since it was first detected in the province.

There are 29 new cases in the far north region, four in the north and one in the Saskatoon area.There are 154 active cases in the province, as of Monday. Ninety-seven active cases are in the far north region.

• Blocked from your northern Sask. cabin? 'Be patient,' chief says

Dr. Saqib Shahab, chief medical health officer,said there is more aggressive testing and tracing in the La Loche area.

"I don't think ...it should be unexpected that we may see some relatively large numbers throughout that area for a number of reasons," Premier Scott Moe said Monday at a news conference.

"One, we're going back to about two weeks, when the infection started, when maybe physical distancing wasn't the priority it is today in those communities. Two, we're testing more in those areas."

Targeted screening is ongoing in La Loche, with mobile and drive-through testing options available, said Scott Livingstone, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

A positive case in aBeauvalgrocery store has been linked tonine cases across Beauval, Ile-a-la-Cross, Buffalo Narrows and Jans Bay.

Testing is available at Buffalo Narrows Health Centre, Beauval Health Centre, La Loche Health Centre and St. Joseph's Hospital in Ile-a-la-Crosse, according to Livingstone.

"As we move along, we will see some local areas with increased transmission and we'll have to understand and manage that," Shahab said.

Meanwhile, there are 35 active cases in the north region, which includes outbreaks in Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert and Lloydminster Hospital.

There are now 11 people in hospital in the province. Three people are hospitalized in the north and four in Saskatoon. Four people are in intensive care: one in thenorth and three in Saskatoon.

The province's data says thatof the total 467 overall cases 138 are linked to travel, 182 to close contact or mass gatherings and 40 cases with no known transmission, indicating community transmission.

There are 107 cases still under investigation.

The province has conducted and processed results on 32,332 testsas of Monday. There were 762 tests on Sunday and 727 on Saturday.

The previous highest single-day case increase came on March 28, when 30 cases of COVID-19 were announced.