Rent reduced for Riders, early budget items approved by Regina Council
5h ago
Council retroactively slashed $1.33 million in rent owed by the Roughriders.
Health Minister Paul Merriman once again has confirmed the plan for second doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Saskatchewan.
Speaking on Gormley on Friday morning, Merriman said most Saskatchewan residents who received their first dose of AstraZeneca can expect their second dose roughly 12 weeks later.
“Dr. (Saqib) Shahab has advised us that the AstraZeneca is actually at its strongest and best when you’re able to get that shot at the 12-week mark,” Merriman said, referring to the province’s chief medical health officer.
“So we’re going to hold the AstraZeneca that we have right now (for) those individuals that got AstraZeneca — which didn’t start until about the middle of March — so we can make sure that we get those individuals when it hits their maximum effectiveness.”
Saskatchewan currently is administering AstraZeneca second doses to people who received that vaccine in their first dose and who are over the age of 85 or who are cancer patients or solid organ transplant patients who received a confirmation letter.
The province currently has about 20,000 doses of that vaccine on hand. Health officials have said about 73,000 Saskatchewan residents got AstraZeneca as a first dose.
That shortfall has left some people who initially got that vaccine concerned about what they’ll get when they’re eligible for a second shot.
The province has suggested some people who were immunized first with AstraZeneca could get the Pfizer vaccine as a second dose. Studies are underway around the world as to whether that strategy is effective.
Thousands of the first dose of AstraZeneca were given out in Saskatchewan starting in mid-March, meaning roughly 15,000 people can expect to get their second dose in June.
Merriman says there will be dedicated clinics and shots will “most likely” be done through a drive-thru format.
“We will identify a specific day or a specific location for the drive-thru so we can move those people through at a quick pace,” he said. “We will advertise that through public service announcements and through social media and mainstream media so everybody is well aware.”
As for other vaccines, everyone 80 years of age and older or who had their first dose on or before March 1 is eligible to book a second shot. So are individuals who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer and people who have received solid organ transplants.