Vaccine to arrive in Prince Albert, Sask. in early January
Front-line health workers will be the first to receive vaccine
Prince Albert is next in line to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
During a news conference on COVID-19 Tuesday, Health Minister Paul Merriman announced that a shipment of the vaccine would arrive in the city on the week of Monday, Jan. 4. Front-line health workers will be the first to receive it.
Deliveries to the city are then expected on a regular weekly basis.
"I want to thank everybody involved for this massive effort. Saskatchewan has a great track record when it comes to immunizations. So when the vaccines arrive we will be ready," Merriman said
The province also expects shipments of the Moderna vaccine, which was approved Wednesday morning, to begin immediately. The first doses will be given to residents and staff of long-term and personal care homes.
"Planning is already well underway for the next allocation so we can really begin to ramp up our vaccinations early in the new year," he added.
Merriman also updated on the delivery of vaccine in the rest of the province. There have been 1,519 vaccinations completed at the Regina General Hospital and the province should be done the initial delivery of 1,950 doses in the next few days.
"[Monday] we received another 1,950 doses in Regina. These will provide the second shot for those who have received their first shot. That will take place 21 days after the first shot. Soon, in the new year, we will have our first Saskatchewan residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — pretty remarkable when you think about it," Merriman said.
Also occurring Tuesday was the delivery of 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, to deliver the first and second doses to 1,950 Saskatoon health care workers.
"More doses will arrive in Saskatoon next week enabling a further 487 healthcare workers to be immunized. The second dose of this vaccine will be administered to the recipients within three to four weeks," Merriman said.
Saskatoon vaccine
St. Paul's Hospital ICU Registered Nurse Kathy Pickerl was first in line to receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in Saskatoon. Other recipients among the 1,950 health care workers being immunized will include staff from ICUs, Emergency Departments, COVID units, testing and assessment centres. The province expects the first phase in Saskatoon to take several days, with 20 people immunized Tuesday.
"As soon as the vaccines arrive they will be administrated to Saskatchewan people quickly, safely and as efficiently as possible," Merriman said.
Christmas measures
Merriman and chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab also said a downward trend in case numbers the province is reporting can continue into Christmas and beyond.
Merriman opened the briefing by thanking everyone in advance for following the guidelines put in place on Dec. 14 during the holidays.
"Each year at Christmas time we all look forward to getting together with family and friends, visiting each other's homes, sharing a meal together, or just standing around the kitchen and socializing. Some of us travel long distances to be with our families. These are all things that make Christmas and the holiday season so great," Merriman said.
"But this year these are the activities that could make Christmas very dangerous that could lead into a huge spike of cases a couple of weeks from now. So we are asking you, stick to your own household for Christmas, connect online with other family members and friends, visit outdoors if you can. Have a quiet Christmas."
Merriman said he believes people in the province will abide by public health orders.
"We have some people that are not adhering to that and we again encourage then to comply with the public health orders that are out there," he said.
He wants people to review the public health orders and said the province is making sure compliance is a priority.
"I really trust the Saskatchewan people to be able to comply with what's going on. They understand that this is for their safety, their neighbours safety and their family's safety," Merriman said.
"Household contacts are still one of the main sources of transmission. So we know that large gatherings at Christmas would result almost certainly in a large spike in cases."
Shahab said he is hearing that people have made plans to remain connected in other ways to friends and family in Canada and across the province.
"If you have friends and family in the community where you live, many people are planning to be outdoors. The weather seems to be not that bad so you can go and meet and greet people from a distance," he explained.
Shahab also added that going outside and exercising — while still maintaining physical distance — would be beneficial to mental health over the holidays.
Both Shahab and Merriman said they look forward to a better 2021.
According to the province, daily case information and related news releases will be posted through Christmas Eve, then on Dec. 27 and Dec. 29 through Dec. 31.
Updates will not be available on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Dec. 28 and New Year's Day, with the corresponding case information from those days being included in the next scheduled update.
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