The Ministry of Health said the change is because respiratory viruses decline in “prevalence” during the warmer season.
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The frequency of COVID-19 reporting in Saskatchewan is once again changing, effective immediately, the Ministry of Health said Thursday in its latest report.
The next CRISP report is scheduled to be delivered May 25. Bi-weekly reporting will resume in the fall.
According to the latest date shared on Thursday, the province saw 399 new COVID-19 cases recorded during the reporting period of April 9-22, a small decline from 413 cases reported in the first two weeks of April.
More than 60 per cent of cases continue to be recorded in patients 65 years old or older.
An update to previous data showed five more deaths added to the prior reporting periods of March 26 and April 8, originally reported at 10 new deaths, for a total of 15 deaths.
Saskatchewan has reached a total of 1,960 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
Nine additional deaths have been added to that total since the previous report, including the five deaths noted to have happened in the prior two weeks. The ministry did not identify when the four other deaths may have occurred.
Hospitalizations decreased, with 138 new patients admitted in relation to COVID-19, while intensive care unit admissions increased to 16 in the past two weeks.
Approximately 5.6 per cent of staffed inpatient beds in Saskatchewan were occupied by COVID-19 patients as of Saturday.
Test positivity for COVID-19 increased to 10.5 per cent over the past two weeks, a jump from 8.2 per cent reported at the end of the previous period but on par with the beginning of the month. This rate is double that of February and early March, which averaged around five per cent.
Prevalence of the subvariant XBB.1.5, publicly deemed as the Kraken variant, and its sublineages continued an upward climb, increasing to 77 per cent of variants detected.
Most recent wastewater analysis measuring prevalence of the COVID-19 virus in fecal matter shows low indicator levels in the North Battleford, Lloydminster and Prince Albert regions, with Saskatoon described as moderate.
Conversely, viral RNA loads in Regina remained stable but high, as of the most recent reporting period up to April 15.
North Battleford’s concentration decreased from the previous report, but Saskatoon and Prince Albert increased.
Vaccination rates saw little to no movement from two weeks ago. COVID-19 vaccination amongst residents over the age of five is still less than half, with 46 per cent of the population up-to-date with vaccination and at least one booster dose.
Just 27 per cent of people are vaccinated against influenza, noted to be nine per cent lower when compared to the same time last year.
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