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COVID-19 variant first detected in India found in Saskatchewan

A Saskatchewan woman is recovering after developing blood clots as a result of the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of just 18 cases in Canada.

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Saskatchewan registered two COVID-19 firsts, with cases of the variant of concern first found in India and one case of blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The province reported five cases of the B.1.617 variant on Friday in four different zones, including two cases in Saskatoon. It’s the fourth variant identified in Saskatchewan.

The World Health Organization declared B.1.617 a variant of concern on Monday, which signalled it could be more contagious, lead to more serious illness, resist treatment and elude immunization.

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The blood clots were identified in a woman in her 60s who received the vaccine on April 11.

“She has received treatment and is recovering,” a provincial news release said. The case is one of 18 recorded in Canada among more than two million AstraZeneca first doses, including about 72,000 in Saskatchewan.

Also, the Saskatoon zone became the second in Saskatchewan to reach 100 deaths related to COVID-19 as the province announced two more people have died.

The two new deaths were recorded in the Saskatoon zone (someone aged 70 to 79) and the south central zone (aged 40 to 49). That brings the total to 515, including 151 in the Regina zone.

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The province reported its second straight day with more than 200 cases after four straight days with fewer than 200 positives. The 227 new cases were determined through 4,085 tests, the first time the province cracked the 4,000 tests mark since April 24.

The seven-day average for daily new cases dropped to 203, the lowest since March 30.

Six cases diagnosed outside the province were also added, to bring the total cases to 44,159.

The Saskatoon zone led the new cases with 50, followed by the Regina zone with 41 and the south east zone (Estevan, Weyburn) with 36.

Active cases rose to 2,075. The province has not dropped below 2,000 active cases since April 1.

The number of people in hospital following a COVID-19 diagnosis dropped to 149, the lowest level since March 24. The number of patients in intensive care units dipped to 34, including 18 in Regina.

The province identified 438 new variant of concern cases through genome sequencing, to bring that total to 4,106, including 4,021 B.1.1.7 (first identified in the United Kingdom), 71 P.1 (first found in Brazil), nine B.1.351 (first discovered in South Africa) and the five B.1.617.

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A total of 8,915 variant cases have been identified.

The Saskatoon zone continued to lead the province in active cases with 534 after a dip from 564 on Thursday. Active cases in the province’s most populous zone had not been as high as 564 since Feb. 1.

The Regina zone ticked up to 436 following a fairly steady decline since early April, when variants of concern drove a surge in cases.

Health Minister Paul Merriman told reporters at the Legislature in Regina that discussions are underway about removing the tighter restrictions in Regina and nearby communities.

Those restrictions were imposed in March and included an advisory against travel to and from the communities. Restaurants will be allowed to reopen to dining in these communities on Monday and visitation rules for care homes mirror the rest of the province.

“There’s a reality there that people are going to travel,” Merriman said of the travel advisory.

He added there are no current plans to impose tighter restrictions in the Saskatoon zone, despite higher active cases than in the Regina zone.

Merriman pointed out the Saskatoon zone covers more people, 334,757, compared to 273,287 in the Regina zone.

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The province is focused on vaccines in the Saskatoon zone, he added.

Merriman said the the province is keeping a “close eye” to ensure that cases are not surging on Saskatchewan’s borders.

A Saskatchewan Health Authority physicians’ town hall meeting on Thursday heard there was an increase in cases linked to travel from Alberta.

As of Thursday, according to information compiled by the federal government, Alberta had more than three times as many active cases as Saskatchewan per 100,000 people with 556, compared to 172. Manitoba’s rate has risen to become second in the country at 293.

“Our borders are open,” Merriman said. “Some people from Alberta travel into Saskatchewan because they have property here that they have every right to be able to come in and visit their properties.”

On the day that vaccine eligibility dropped to include everyone aged 23 and older for most of the province, another 7,930 doses were recorded on Friday to bring the total doses to 553,389. All adults who live in the northern half of the province remain eligible to book and receive vaccines.

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The province is scheduled to begin second doses for people 85 and older on Monday.

The share of people 40 and older who have received a first dose rose to 73 per cent, and the share of those 30 and older with at least one dose hit 63 per cent.

The second phase of the province’s reopening plan is set to start three weeks after 70 per cent of people 30 and older have received their first dose.

— With Leader-Post files from Arthur White-Crummey

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ptank@postmedia.com

twitter.com/thinktankSK

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