Province Releases Vaccination Plan
The Saskatchewan government has announced plans on how to distribute the first batch of COVID - 19 vaccine they will be receiving nest week.
The 1,950 doses of the Pfizer made vaccine will be distributed through a pilot program at the Regina General Hospital. Under that pilot program the vaccine - which requires two inoculations) will be available to health care workers providing direct care to COVID-19 patients.
The first recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine will be health care workers in ICUs, Emergency Departments and Covid Units at Regina General and Pasqua Hospitals and staff at testing and assessment centres. Pilot recipients will receive their second dose 21 days following the administration of the first dose (during Phase 1), a news release from the Province stated.
The vaccine has been approved for use by the federal government.
The Pfizer vaccine is the first of multiple vaccines expected to be approved by Health Canada and available later as the vaccination program rolls out.
“The Vaccine Delivery Plan’s first phase focuses on immunizing priority populations who are at a higher risk of exposure to the virus or more at risk of serious illness - health care workers, elderly residents in care homes, seniors over 80 and residents in northern remote communities. Phase 1 is anticipated to commence in late December, 2020 with 202,052 doses expected within the first quarter of 2021. This includes expected weekly allocations of 10,725 doses of Pfizer vaccine. Weekly allocations of Moderna are currently being finalized,” the release read.
The second phase of the Vaccine Delivery Plan is expected to start in April 2021 and will still focus on the population at a higher risk although this phase will include vaccination to the general population as well.
“Once mass immunization has occurred, we will all be able to get closer to our normal routines,” Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said in a statement. “But in the meantime, everyone must continue following the basic advice – frequent hand-washing, physical distancing, masking and staying home if you have symptoms, and closely following public health orders.”
There was no mention about the vaccine being compulsory to do such things as attending school or travel in the announcement.
At the news conference Shahab said being vaccinated will remain voluntary for now.
It is expected there may be a large group of residents who voluntarily decline the vaccination but it is unknown what impact such actions will have on the overall vaccination program.
The Province will still maintain measures for months while the vaccine is rolled out however the news conference did not state what those mitigation measures would entail.