According to provincial health officials, more than a dozen cases of E. coli in Saskatchewan are likely not connected to the XL Foods beef recall, but half of the cases are linked to a Regina eatery that was shut down last week.

The province has finished initial testing of 14 of the 15 E. coli cases reported since August.

Dr. Saquib Shahab says 14 out of 15 E. coli cases tested in Saskatchewan are not linked to the XL Foods beef recall. (CBC)

Dr. Saqib Shahab, the chief medical health officer, said the genetic fingerprint of the bacteria does not match the one at the XL Foods plant in Alberta.

"Based on that we don't have any cases that are confirmed linked to the recall, but of course we do use the information to see if there is any linkage to one another," said Shahab.

He confirmed four of the cases come from a single household, another four are unrelated and six, likely seven, of the cases are linked to Regina's Flip Eatery.

The restaurant voluntarily closed last week after learning people were diagnosed with E. coli after eating there.

"We chose and we wanted to make sure the public knew that we were doing everything we can no matter how hard it is for us to take those steps, we had to take those steps and be responsible," said Timothy Martin, one of the restaurant owners.

Flip Eatery voluntarily closed after a few people that ate at the restaurant fell ill with E. coli.

Martin said the eatery has had three inspections in the last two weeks and the establishment has passed all of them.

"Those people that walk by and give us the thumbs up when we're cleaning the place, it's that type of a thing that's really encouraging," he said.

This year, Saskatchewan has seen a spike in E. coli infections. In an average September, there are between zero and four in the province, but this year there have been 15 confirmed cases since Aug. 1.

When will we be certain there is no link?

According to officials, tests are done to see if the bacteria found in the XL Foods meat matches that from people who have become ill from E. coli in the past few months.

Saskatchewan officials said the initial tests performed on the 15 E. coli cases do not show they're connected to the meat recall.

However, they said it can only be definitively confirmed that the cases have no link to XL Foods meat when federal inspectors end their investigation and conclude there is only one strain of E. coli responsible for the meat contamination.

They said that may take one to two weeks.