Saskatchewan’s name was added Monday to the list of provinces that have reported deaths due to COVID-19.

The Saskatchewan government announced two people in their 70s had died Sunday of complications associated with the coronavirus, succumbing in hospitals in different parts of the province.

Premier Scott Moe offered his condolences to the families and friends of the two individuals.

“The thoughts of all Saskatchewan people are with you at this very difficult time,” Moe said during a conference call with reporters.

“Today’s sad news is a sobering reminder for us all that COVID-19 is a dangerous and a deadly disease and that we have to keep making efforts to reduce the spread and we need to continue to adhere to the measures that are in place.”

Saskatchewan is the eighth province to record a death due to the coronavirus.

As of Monday afternoon, Ontario (33), Quebec (25), B.C. (19), Alberta (three), Manitoba (one), Newfoundland and Labrador (one) and Prince Edward Island (one) also were on the list.

“This is a sad milestone in our fight against COVID-19,” said Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab.

That said, Shahab noted that Monday’s announcement also included the positive news that six more residents had been declared recovered, bringing the total in the province so far to 14.

The government said one of the two deaths was related to travel, but the other case is believed to be a result of community transmission.

Shahab said the investigation hasn’t found any link as yet between the victim and a person who had travelled internationally, leading to the belief that it’s a case of community transmission.

As a result, Shahab once again stressed the importance of hand-washing, physical distancing and limiting interactions between households.

Moe said he believes the government’s actions to date during the pandemic — including closing schools, limiting the size of gatherings and shutting down non-essential businesses — have been “appropriate” in terms of their timing.

Shahab agreed, saying health officials “have done as much as we could as fast as we could.”

“But it’s really important to sustain this,” he added. “And we need to keep sustaining this for the next little while and keep re-evaluating based on cases that now present to try to better understand what are the setting (and) what can we do more based on the cases that will now present over the next two weeks.”

Looking at the numbers

In addition to the deaths announced Monday, the province reported it had 20 new cases of the virus. The total to date in Saskatchewan is 176.

That number has increased by 72 since Friday. There were 30 new cases announced Saturday and 22 on Sunday.

Five of the 176 cases remain in hospital, including one in ICU in Regina. Three inpatient cases are in Saskatoon while one is in the northern region of the province.

There are 84 cases in Saskatoon, 37 in the north, 36 in Regina, 10 in the central area (excluding Saskatoon), six in the south (excluding Regina) and three in the far north.

Of the 176 cases, 80 are in the 20-44 age range, 62 are between the ages of 45 and 64, 29 are 65 or over, and five are aged 19 or under.

As of Monday, 9,651 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province, up 565 from Sunday.

“We have tested per capita in very large amounts, the second-highest in the nation thus far,” Moe said. “In saying that, we do need to shift in the days ahead and are shifting actively towards putting our resources into contact tracing and focusing those tests into those areas to ensure that we are testing the right individuals.”

In a media release, the province said it was redeploying staff into what it called “critical function areas” such as contact tracing, call centres and public inquiries.

Moe said there currently are about 150 people doing contact tracing after tests are conducted. Over the coming days, 50 more staff members from across government will be moved into that role, with others likely to follow.

“We are identifying and we are isolating positive cases,” Moe said. “More cases means we need to increase our contact tracing efforts. To date, we have been keeping up with contact tracing. Now it’s time for us to redouble our efforts.”

New testing sites opening

The government also revealed that, as of Monday, there are more than 40 communities in the province where COVID-19 testing is available.

The list of communities where tests are being done can be seen here under the “Testing Information” heading. Tests are done by referral only.

More locations are expected to come on line as demand rises.