saskatchewan's july covid cases almost all unvaccinated people
a third of the cases diagnosed in july were discovered in people 19 years old or younger and most of those were under 12.
aug 9 2021
2 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
by: phil tank
nearly all of last month’s diagnosed covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the province involved people who were not fully immunized against the disease, saskatchewan’s ministry of health says.
more than 90 per cent of the 1,220 new cases and 83 people hospitalized in july were unvaccinated or party vaccinated, according to the province in a news release. of the 20 people admitted to intensive care units in july, 95 per cent — all but one — were not fully immunized.
the province said four people who died of covid-19 in july were unvaccinated or partly vaccinated, although information posted on the government’s website shows 10 deaths reported in july. the ministry did not immediately respond to a message seeking to clarify the discrepancy.
approximately one-third of the diagnosed cases in july were found in those 19 years old or younger. around one in five cases was recorded in those under 12, who are not eligible to be vaccinated against covid-19.
“all residents 12 (and older) are encouraged to be fully vaccinated to afford (those ineligible to be vaccinated) the best circle of protection possible,” the province said.
“children can contract, transmit and become ill with covid-19 though the risk for serious health outcomes is lower than older populations. if you are fully vaccinated, all activities with children will be considered lower risk.”
advertisement
advertisement
statistics compiled by the federal government show saskatchewan lags every jurisdiction in the country in the percentage of residents with at least one vaccine dose. saskatchewan also sits near the bottom in people who have received full immunization from two doses.
as of july 31, 75.4 per cent of those in saskatchewan had received at least one vaccine dose, lower than the national average of 81.1 per cent. saskatchewan also trails all provinces and territories except newfoundland and labrador and prince edward island in the rate of fully immunized people.
saskatchewan’s rate of full immunization is 65.2 per cent, while the national rate is 68.2 per cent.
saskatchewan also regained top spot among provinces in new covid-19 cases per 100,000 over the last seven days. saskatchewan leads with 32, more than double the national rate of 15.
saskatchewan sits second in active cases per 100,000 with 56, behind only alberta with 61. the national active case rate is 27.
the northern half of the province remains the worst jurisdiction in canada for adding new cases with the equivalent of 315 per 100,000 over the previous seven days. that;s more than double the rate in interior region of british columbia, where more severe restrictions were imposed last week.
advertisement
advertisement
saskatchewan removed all restrictions provincewide a month ago.
the news seems to be flying at us faster all the time. from covid-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be hard to keep up. with that in mind, the saskatoon starphoenix has created an afternoon headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox to help make sure you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. click here to subscribe.
share story
