(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

Integrated Epidemiology Report

Half of new COVID cases among 50 and older population, 22 deaths reported last week

May 19, 2022 | 2:06 PM

The Ministry of Health reported another 465 new cases of COVID-19 last week, as well as 22 COVID-19 related deaths in the province.

This is a decrease from the number of new cases in the previous week (710).

The majority of laboratory-confirmed cases this week were 50 years and older (54.8 per cent).

There were 6,908 laboratory tests were performed in Saskatchewan reflecting 5.7 tests performed per 1,000 population. Again this is a decrease from the previous week (7,099).

Less than one in 15 laboratory tests were positive (weekly test positivity of 6.5 per cent), which is a decrease from the previous week (7.6 per cent).

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The Omicron BA.2 sublineage accounted for 70.9 per cent of the variants of concern reported this week, which was lower compared to the previous week.

There are currently 11 confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and care home settings.

As of May 14, 2022, of the population five years and older, 81 per cent have completed a series.

Among the population 18 years and older, 52.3 per cent had received at least one booster vaccination.

As of the week of May 9, there have been 434 Paxlovid prescriptions and two Remdesivir treatments provided.

More than 20.6 million rapid antigen test kits have been distributed in the province. They are easily accessible at more than 600 locations.

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 8 to Saturday, May 14, 2022. The hospitalization data is a comparison from May 12 to May 18, 2022.

The integrated epi report can be found online at saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-cases.

Effective today, Saskatchewan is expanding Paxlovid prescribing authority to approximately 170 select pharmacies across the province, as well as select physicians and nurse practitioners, significantly increasing the ability for residents to access this antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

The medication consists of three tablets taken every 12 hours for five days. There is no fee to receive Paxlovid treatment.

Not all physicians will be prescribing and not all pharmacies will be providing Paxlovid prescribing and dispensing. To see a list of participating pharmacies and eligibility criteria visit saskatchewan.ca/paxlovid-pharmacies.

The decision to prescribe Paxlovid must consider patient risks, current medications and underlying conditions.

Treatment for COVID-19 is Not a Substitute for Vaccination

Treatment for COVID-19 does not offer equal protection to vaccination. Getting your first, second and all recommended booster doses remains the most important intervention to reduce risk of hospitalization and other severe outcomes from COVID-19. Find a vaccination clinic near you.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow