Saskatchewan

COVID-19 in Sask.: 528 new cases, 5 new deaths, new hospitalization and ICU records

Today's statistics from the health ministry include another sign of a system that's under severe stress, with 276 people in hospital and 61 people in intensive care units. Both those numbers are records.

276 people in hospital, 61 of them in intensive care units

Starting Oct. 1, a mandatory vaccination or negative test policy will apply to certain businesses and public places in Saskatchewan. In recent days, the number of people getting shots has been on the rise. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

Five more people with COVID-19 have died in Saskatchewan and the province has once again reported more than 500 new cases in a single day.

Friday's statistics from the health ministry include another sign of a system that's under severe stress, with 276 people in hospital and 61 people in intensive care units. Both those numbers are records.

The spike is causing surgeries and other procedures to be cancelled or rescheduled.

The province announced 528 new cases Friday, with some regions are doing better than others. The Saskatoon and northwest areas remain the worst hot spots for the disease.

There are now 4,734 known active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan.

More than 5,000 people got vaccinated yesterday and just under 4,000 got tested for COVID-19. Both those numbers are more than double what they were a month ago.

The province says about 78 per cent of those in hospital were not fully vaccinated.

There were 528 new COVID-19 cases, as well as five new deaths announced on Sept. 24, 2021. (CBC News)