While the numbers for COVID-19 haven’t been reported in Saskatchewan over the Christmas weekend, they were updated in most other jurisdictions, and the case numbers have been staggering in many areas.
Ontario reported their highest number of new cases on Christmas day – 10,412 – setting a new record for the third straight day. Meanwhile, Quebec has seen case numbers in that province skyrocket as well, with more than 17,000 reported over the weekend.
In the prairie provinces, however, no official numbers have been released, with the last update in Saskatchewan coming on December 23rd, and the next update not expected from official sources until the 28th.
While the numbers haven’t officially been released, some people who are privy to the numbers have been releasing them anonymously via the social media site Reddit. There, in the r/Saskatchewan subreddit, it has been reported there would have been 210 new cases reported on the 24th, 241 reported on the 25th, 151 on the 26th and 137 on the 27th. Case numbers are generally released based on the testing results from the previous day.
The testing numbers included in the anonymous leaks show the positivity rate of the new cases over the four days as sitting at 12.17 percent, with a total of 739 cases on 6073 tests.
No numbers in terms of hospitalizations have been released by the provincial government, nor have they been made available through any other sources. At this time, there is no word as to whether the increase in case numbers has been reflected in an increase in hospitalizations.
Last Thursday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe indicated there could be limits on large gatherings implemented in the coming days, noting while he doesn’t want to impose measures that would take away personal freedoms, they are monitoring the situation closely and have not ruled out additional measures.
In the statement, which was released via social media, Moe said one of the key factors in making the decisions on measures that could be implemented would be if the number of serious cases and hospitalizations could remain low and manageable.
He added people need to do their part in keeping the pressure off the healthcare system by getting vaccinated, getting a booster shot if they haven’t already, using rapid tests, and following the public health orders currently in place.
"We should be concerned about Omicron but not panicked," Moe said. "COVID is going to be with us for a while in one form or another. We can do the things we enjoy if we are careful."