Covid-19 Update for the week of August 31: Saskatchewan conducts self-testing pilot for student under age 12

September 1, 2021, 3:50 pm

With children returning to school shortly, a pilot program will be launched in a small selection of schools to provide COVID-19 self-testing rapid antigen kits to families with students under age 12. This age group is currently not eligible to be vaccinated.

The 24 schools included in the pilot program will be determined in consultation with the school divisions and Medical Health Officers (MHOs) based on a variety of factors such as vaccination coverage, active cases, hospitalizations and school outbreaks. More schools will participate as the program evolves.

With the resumption of in-class learning, parents with eligible children in participating schools will receive notification from those schools on receiving testing kits.

Self-testing is safe, easy to use, and provides fast results within 15 minutes. These tests are effective in screening people who may be COVID-positive but have no symptoms. A positive antigen test should always be validated with a lab-based PCR test.

COVID-19 Summary for August 31, 2021:
• From August 25 - 31, 13,994 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 1,476,374.
• As of August 31, 77 per cent of those 12+ have received their first dose and 68 per cent of those 12+ are fully vaccinated.
• There were 1,567 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan from August 25 - 31, bringing the provincial total to 54,367 cases. Nine hundred and seventy-seven recoveries were recorded during the same period.
• The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan is currently 248 (20.6 per 100,000).
• Eleven new deaths were reported August 25 - 31.
• There were 18 cases confirmed as Variants of Concern between August 25 - 31.
• As of August 31, there are 130 people in hospital: 100 are receiving inpatient care and 30 are in intensive care. Ninety-seven of the people in hospital (74.6%) are not fully vaccinated.
• From August 25 - 31, there were 21,221 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan.

Daily provincial COVID-19 statistics by age, date and geographic zones including active cases, recoveries and confirmed variants of concern can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Stick it to COVID - Get Your Vaccination
A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is holding pop-up and walk-in vaccination clinics throughout the province, targeting under- and unvaccinated communities. Details on clinic locations and times is listed on the SHA website. Please note clinics are subject to change based on demand, weather, etc. Any changes to clinic hours and location will be updated online.

Living With COVID-19
For guidance on Living with COVID-19, including the requirements for self-isolation if you have a positive COVID-19 test, expectations around masking, information for businesses and workplaces and the visitation requirements for acute care as well as long term care and personal care homes, go to https://www.saskatchewan.ca/living-with-covid.

General COVID-19 Information
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.