On the same day the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced it had opened a new primary care assessment site for COVID-19 in Regina, the province announced nine new cases of the virus.

That hiked the total in the province to date to 95.

In a media release, the SHA said the facility will “provide intermediate care, assessment and treatment of people with symptoms that have progressively worsened over consecutive days and are consistent with COVID-19.”

“The Regina COVID Assessment and Treatment Site will also serve patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms coupled with chronic diseases,” the release added.

The facility can be accessed only by appointment. Patients must be referred by their fam​ily physician, Heal​thLine 811 or their local Public​ Health Communicable Disease Control office.

The SHA said other assessment sites will be opened across the province as the need arises. HealthLine 811 will have that information.

The latest numbers

According to a media release from the provincial government, all 95 cases in Saskatchewan now are confirmed.

Five of the 95 cases — three in Regina and two in Saskatoon — have required hospitalization. One person is in intensive care in each of those cities.

Three people have been declared recovered.

Five of the total number of cases are the result of community transmission, while the rest are travel-related.

Saskatoon has the most cases in the province with 44, followed by Regina (28), the central area excluding Saskatoon (13), the south excluding Regina (seven), and the north (three).

Four of the province’s cases are under the age of 19, 45 are between the ages of 20 and 44, 32 are in the 45-to-64 age group, and 14 are 65 or older.

The Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory in Regina has done 6,915 tests so far.

That comprises 4,029 tests in the central area of the province (including Saskatoon), 2,771 in the south (including Regina) and 107 in the north.

The province is awaiting the test results for 33 patients in the south and one in the central area.

More than 6,600 tests have been negative.

The government did not hold a media availability to discuss Thursday’s numbers.

Changes to public health order

A new restriction was added to those already on the food industry.

According to the government, staff now must dispense food in places that remain open. That means self-service at salad bars or with soup and hot food items at convenience stores now is banned.

The province already has limited the number of people who can attend public or private gatherings at 10, except for families in the same household or where critical public and business services are being conducted.

In the latter instances, two-metre distancing must be observed.

On Wednesday, the government also ordered that all businesses that aren’t considered critical public services must be closed.

More information is available on the government’s COVID-19 website.