Shahab says all adults could have access to COVID vaccines in four to six weeks

It appears an ambitious goal to get vaccines in the arms of all adults in Saskatchewan has become even more ambitious.

During a provincial COVID-19 briefing Wednesday, chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab once again asked everyone to “hold the line” and “stay the course” for the next several weeks, even though variants of concern (VOCs) continue to spread in southern Saskatchewan and now in the Saskatoon region.

That’s because he says if all goes according to plan, everyone over the age of 18 will “have access” to their first shot in four to six weeks, including those 50 and older by April 15.

“By (the) end of April, 40 and older, by early May, 30 and older, and by mid-May all adults 18 and older will be able to access vaccines. So we have to remember we are talking about four to six weeks,” Shahab explained.

From there, second vaccine doses will be administered.

“As soon as supplies allow,” he added. “It won’t be four months. It will be well within two to three months, most likely.”

While there have been calls from the Saskatchewan Medical Association, Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, police forces, health-care workers not yet vaccinated and those representing other essential services workers like grocery store clerks, Shahab and Health Minister Paul Merriman say the current age-based plan is the way to go right now.

“While the case numbers are much higher in younger age groups, mortality continues to be higher in 50 and older, so it’s critical we complete 50 to 59 and continue down the age ranges,” said Shahab.

Merriman countered those calls for additional essential worker vaccinations by saying that some groups had already been at the head of the line.

“We had frontline health-care workers, we had employees of the long-term care and personal care homes that were of younger age that were getting done because of where their situation was,” he said. “We’ve continued to do that.

“We’ve worked with our mobile clinics. We’re doing that right now in group homes and with shelters and various other areas.”

That said, there may be some considerations for large workplaces after Premier Scott Moe hinted vaccinations could take place in workplaces with “(400) to (500) to 600 people show up in a day and do have some interaction. Maybe we have some mobile capacity to address some of these folks.”

Merriman said what he thought the premier was alluding to was continuously evolving what they were looking at, but that the age-based sequence was still the best and main way to go ahead.

“Moving (those essential workers) up in the queue a couple of weeks could slow everything down on the mass vaccination program with our age-based sequence,” he said. “I understand that they want to get moved up in the queue, but the queue isn’t very long right now.”

AstraZeneca update

The province is doling out doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine at drive-through and walk-in clinics around the province to people aged 55 and over.

Drive-throughs currently are operating in Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Weyburn, Yorkton, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Warman and Lloydminster, with one set to open Friday in Moose Jaw.

There are walk-ins up and running in Moose Jaw and Kindersley.

There have been short lineups at many of the drive-through clinics in recent days, but Merriman wasn’t concerned because of the demand when the clinics first opened.

If there isn’t significant uptake in the coming days, Merriman said there might be other options, including offering that vaccine to those over 55 through pharmacies and mobile clinics.

The vaccine won’t be offered to anyone under the age of 55, as per recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).

The province has plenty of AstraZeneca on hand to ensure the drive-through and walk-in clinics are sufficiently stocked. Another option may be to use it for second doses for those who had their first dose at the Regina drive-through a few weeks ago.