Drive-through vaccine clinic to open in Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie is hopeful about the coming response to confront rising cases of COVID-19 and variants in his region.

The mayor said Tuesday the city has chosen a location to hold a drive-through vaccination clinic.

“We’ve been able to establish that. An announcement will be coming later this week when we get everything prepared,” Tolmie told the Greg Morgan Morning Show.

“We know that the vaccine works. We’re encouraging everybody to take the vaccine when it comes their time.”

The Regina zone remains the epicentre of the pandemic in Saskatchewan but the south-central area, which includes Moose Jaw, has become one of the hotspots.

The area has 103 active cases of COVID-19, fourth-most of the 13 zones.

More concerning, 109 cases of variants of concern have been identified.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority already has expanded mobile testing in the area.

Mobile testing was done in the city Monday and Tuesday, replacing scheduled drop-in testing. That is to resume Wednesday at 250 Thatcher Dr.

People can still make a testing appointment by calling HealthLine 811 for a referral.

Other communities including Saskatoon and Yorkton will be setting up drive-through vaccination clinics, said Derek Miller, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s chief of emergency operations.

Regina’s vaccination clinic, which administered more than 2,000 doses each day for more than a week, will reopen once new shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrive.

“We’re still waiting to get a confirmation of the delivery date, which will drive when we are actually able to open those sites,” Miller told Gormley on Tuesday.

Miller said the province is expecting 46,000 doses this week.

He added the SHA’s delivery plan will also be changed after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended against giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to those under 55 years of age.

Shipping delays will also affect the rollout of the Moderna vaccine in Saskatchewan. Miller said 21,000 doses originally scheduled to arrive on March 22 will be delayed a week. That means vaccine appointments in rural and northern areas will need to be changed.

“We had booked up probably around 80 per cent of those appointments that were in the system that (were) relying on that supply,” he said.

“It is troublesome. I mean, throughout this campaign, the vaccine supply has been intermittent and uncertain and we’ve had last-minute changes thrown at us.”

On the other hand, delivery of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine doses has been “reliable,” with 36,000 doses set to arrive each week until May.

As for the approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Miller said he is still waiting to hear how many doses the province will receive and when they will arrive.