Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab. (Evan Radford/980 CJME)

By Jeff D'Andrea

COVID-19 vaccines

Government answers questions about slow vaccine rollout

Jan 6, 2021 | 4:19 PM

Saskatchewan health minister Paul Merriman and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab answered questions about why the vaccine rollout is seeming a lot slower than expected, during the provincial government’s first COVID-19 press conference update of 2021.

So far, 4,524 doses of the vaccine have been administered, including 2,069 Pfizer doses from the mid-December pilot program in Regina, 2,407 Pfizer doses in Saskatoon, and 48 Moderna doses in the Far North West and Far North Central.

An additional 3,900 of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Prince Albert on Wednesday, Merriman said.

The biggest reason Merriman gave for the seemingly slow rollout is the fact the province doesn’t have enough doses to administer mass vaccinations.

“Here in Saskatchewan, we are getting the vaccine into people’s arms as quickly, safely, and effectively as possible, but we are limited by the number of doses we have received. We could absolutely get more vaccinations done, more quickly, if and when the federal government provides us with more doses,” Merriman said.

RPCN Artist

'Felt like a movie': Chris Chipak making waves in the art world

57m ago

Russia-Ukraine War

In a first, President Biden gives green light for Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles in Russia

Nov 17, 2024

Riderville

Shades of 2007

Nov 15, 2024

Back in December, Merriman said the federal government promised Saskatchewan around 11,000 Pfizer doses per week in January, but Saskatchewan has since been told they can expect 6,800 vaccines per week for the rest of the month—as well as one more shipment of 5,300 Moderna vaccines.

“This is just simply not nearly enough and it is significantly less than they promised us just last month,” Merriman said.

Shahab said the province has the capacity to administer the vaccine in mass, in the 10’s of thousands each week, but the vaccine supply has forced them instead to deliver the vaccine to a small, high priority population of frontline healthcare workers, long-term care homes, and those in remote areas in the north.

Each group presents its own logistical challenges. Finding appropriate times for frontline healthcare workers to get the vaccine, going to long-term care homes only after all appropriate paperwork is filled out, and reaching remote northern areas like Fond du Lac and Stony Rapids, then administering the vaccine is also quite difficult.

“We have limited amounts and they have to go to specific people and communities, so it’s running smoothly, but under very specific criteria,” Shahab said. “Obviously, we are ready once the vaccine flows increase, hopefully in March, April, May. Then, it will be important to get into arms as it comes, even then.”

Another reason for the slow start was the province was they couldn’t use all of the doses they received during the pilot project in Regina. The vaccine is administered to each patient in two doses, and since it was a pilot project, there wasn’t a guarantee as to when the province could receive more vaccines—so the second doses were held back.

Both Merriman and Shahab said during the press conference that doses will no longer be held back, as there is now an established supply of vaccines coming in each week. When a vaccine comes in, it will be given. The province has also started administering second doses.

Editor’s note

This article was amended on Jan. 7 to reflect a correction made by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The Moderna doses that were administered were in the Far North West—not the Far North East, as previously mentioned.

–

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW