The provincial government reported the highest number of new cases of COVID-19 since December Friday afternoon, with 418 new cases. This brought the total number of active cases in Saskatchewan to 2,755, the most seen since January 26th, and a higher number of active cases than seen at the peak of the 3rd wave of the virus in the spring.  

Of the cases reported on Friday, 86.8 percent were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. There were also 146 new cases reported in the 19 & under age group, the highest of all the age groups.  

The Saskatoon area saw the biggest increase in new cases, with 131. There were 50 new cases in the North West region, 47 in the North Central, 23 in the Regina and Central West regions, 21 in the North East, 20 in the Far North West, 15 in the Far North East, 13 in the South East, 11 in the Central East, 10 in the South West and nine in the South Central.  

Of the active cases, 135 are in hospital seeking treatment for COVID-19, 23 of those in intensive care. Two deaths were also reported in the province, bringing the total number of deaths linked to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic to 610.  

With the spike in cases, the leader of the Opposition NDP called on Premier Scott Moe to reconvene the legislature, stating on social media that the government is being disingenuous and irresponsible.  

Moe himself used Twitter to remind residents that given that just 55 of the new cases reported on Friday were among those who are fully vaccinated if everyone eligible was vaccinated then the number of new cases would be manageable, and wouldn’t put a strain on the health care system.