In the April 6 COVID-19 update  from The Saskatchewan Health Authority they are reporting a total of 217 new cases of the virus in the province.

Of those 217 new cases there are 5 in the Far North West zone, 11 in the North West zone, 3 in the North Central zone, 2 in the North East zone, 30 in the Saskatoon zone, 17 in the Central East zone, and 97 in the Regina zone.

There is currently 1 new case in the South West zone, 14 in the South Central zone, and 36 in the South East zone.

There is 1 new case with pending residence information.

Two cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the Regina zone.

That brings the total number of COVID cases in the province to 34,980, of which 2,195 are considered active.

There are currently 21 active cases in the South West zone - 6 in the South West subzone 1, and 15 in the South West subzone 2.

The seven-day average of daily new cases is 226 (18.4 new cases per 100,000 population).

There are 221 recoveries reported today, bringing that provincial total to 32,342.

There are 3 new deaths to report. One death was reported in the North Central zone from the 60-69 age group and two deaths were reported in the Regina zone from the 70-79 age group and the 80+ age group.

That brings the provincial total number of deaths to 443.

There are 202 people in hospital. One hundred and fifty-eight people are receiving inpatient care - 2 in the Far North West zone, 1 in the Far North East zone, 8 in the North West zone, 2 in the North Central zone, 45 in the Saskatoon zone, 11 in the Central East zone, 77 in the Regina zone, 2 in the South Central zone, and 10 in the South East zone.

There are 44 people in intensive care - 4 in the North Central zone, 6 in the Saskatoon zone, 2 in the Central East zone, 30 in the Regina zone, and 2 in the South Central zone.

To date, 687,328 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.

And yesterday, there were 2,924 COVID-19 tests processed.

Variants of concern are beginning to rise across southern Saskatchewan, particularly in the Moose Jaw and Weyburn areas. Residents in these areas are urged to adhere to best personal protective measures.

As of April 5, 2,677 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan - 1 in the Far North West zone, 4 in the Far North East zone, 4 in the North West zone, 18 in the North Central zone, 163 in the Saskatoon zone, 12 in the Central West zone, 52 in the Central East zone, and 1,898 in the Regina zone.

There are 11 variant of concern cases in the South West zone, 232 in the South Central zone, and 214 in the South East zone.

There are 68 cases with area of residence pending.

There are 0 new lineage results being reported today. Of the 951 variant of concern with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 943 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), and 8 are B.1.351 (SA).

The Regina zone accounts for 803 (or 84%) of the variant of concern cases with confirmed lineage reported in the province.

The provincial public health orders announced March 9 and the Regina and area revisions announced March 24, are in effect until April 12, and will be reviewed at that time.

An additional 5,938 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered to 227,471.

Of those 5,938 doses there were 204 administered in the South West zone.

One out of every 10 Saskatchewan residents in their 50s, one-third of residents in their 60s, and more then two-thirds of residents in their 70s have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine appointment booking system currently includes people 58 years of age and older. Eligible residents are encouraged to book their vaccinations online or by phone.

The remaining doses from the delayed March 222 Moderna shipment (14,100) are scheduled to arrive Saskatchewan on April 7.