Saskatchewan seeks to address stagnant vaccine uptake

Saskatchewan is looking to jumpstart its stalled COVID-19 vaccination program.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said during a conference call Thursday the vaccine uptake has “stagnated,” especially in terms of first doses.

As of Thursday, 87 per cent of eligible Saskatchewan residents have got their first shot — and that number hasn’t grown much in recent weeks.

Shahab noted most first doses now are going into the arms of children between the ages of five and 11, a group that only became eligible Wednesday.

“We all need to support our friends and family to get that first dose, get that second dose and protect themselves and their loved ones,” Shahab said. “If five- to 11-year-olds can do it, so can all of us.”

As of Thursday, more than 1.71 million doses of COVID vaccines had been administered in Saskatchewan and more than 830,000 people had got two shots.

Getting more people vaccinated in December and January will help prevent future waves, Shahab said, and also could help the province lift its public health measures.

On Thursday, the provincial government chose to extend the current public health orders until Jan. 31, meaning masks and proof of vaccination/proof of a negative COVID test will be required.

According to Premier Scott Moe, vaccination rates will play a role in whether the government lifts that order at the end of January. That’s why the government is looking at ways to increase the uptake.

“There’s a lot more effort in this micro-targeting effort that the Saskatchewan Health Authority and some of our pharmacies are doing in making those vaccines available in these areas where we’d like to see our vaccine rates just a little bit higher,” Moe said.

The government says local leaders in some areas with low vaccination rates have helped convince residents to get immunized, as have tactics like going door to door or pop-up clinics in smaller communities.

Shahab said there also has to be more effort made to educate residents who have been swayed by what he called “misinformation.” That includes some well-educated people who told Shahab they didn’t plan to get vaccinated because of something they read that was based on false information.

“I think it’s remarkable how so many people still question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines,” Shahab said. “We all need to do our part to talk to our friends and family members and we need to be empathetic.

“There has been a lot of finger-pointing and I certainly feel we need to empathize with people who may not have been vaccinated. There should be no stigma, because we’ve also seen people have delayed seeking care because they may be denying they have COVID or may be embarrassed to end up in hospital because they’re not vaccinated — whatever the reason.”

In addition to first and second doses for adults, boosters also are available for certain age groups and Shahab encouraged people to get those shots as soon as they’re eligible to do so.

The province was starting to experience an increase in outbreaks in long-term care homes, but Shahab said the booster campaign that started in the fall has resulted in a drop in those outbreaks.

At the other end of the eligibility spectrum are kids aged five to 11.

Moe said about 16,000 appointments had been made as of Thursday morning to vaccinate children, and more than 2,000 kids got their first shot Wednesday on the first day of their eligibility.

Shahab complimented the staff members — and some of their four-legged friends — who are making kids comfortable while they’re getting their shots.

(Saskatchewan Health Authority/Submitted)

“I’ve heard a lot of praise for clinics where there were therapy dogs available,” Shahab said.

“A lot of parents with young children called me and said they have children who are always nervous about needles, but the professionalism of staff when they went to get vaccinated (and the fact) some clinics had special quiet areas for children who may be fussy, all that adds up and results in a higher vaccine uptake.”

There’s one problem for parents at this point, though. Currently, the policy that gives people time off from work to get their shots doesn’t apply to parents who want to leave work to take their kids to get immunized.