(Submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority)

By paNOW Staff

Latest from the province

Province breaks 500,000 mark for COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine bookings open to 32+

May 8, 2021 | 2:05 PM

An additional 13,042 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 504,482.

The 13,042 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 244; Far North Central, 7; Far North East, 181; North West, 514; North Central, 776; North East, 286; Saskatoon, 2,782; Central West, 138; Central East, 1,189; Regina, 4,245; South West, 506; South Central, 515; and South East, 1,242. There were 417 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Almost 70 per cent (69.6 per cent) of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose. Fifty-eight per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose. Forty-nine per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose. All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found here.

Saskatchewan expects to receive 63,180 Pfizer doses the week of May 10. The vaccine will be distributed as follows: Regina (10,530), Saskatoon (8,190), pharmacies (31,590), North Battleford (2,340), Prince Albert (1,170), Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) North (2,340), ISC South (2,340), ISC North Battleford (1,170), and Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) Prince Albert (3,510) with deliveries to be completed by Wednesday.

Vaccination Booking System Now Open to Age 32+

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Today, eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program has expanded to include age 32+. It remains 18+ for the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. This applies to all immunization clinics: booked appointments, drive-thru/walk-ins, pharmacies and mobile clinics.

Prioritized front-line workers are also eligible. A list of those occupations is available here. Eligible priority groups may visit a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, arrange an appointment with a participating pharmacy, or call 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829) to make an appointment through the SHA booking system. Prioritized front-line workers will be required to provide proof of employment at the time of immunization (a pay stub, letter from their employer, or a copy of a professional license).

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization. Additional stops should be avoided if possible. More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

Residents aged 32+ may book online here or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy. Additional information on how to book your appointment is available here. Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province. For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, click here.

The pharmacy vaccination pilot rollout continues and additional pharmacies will be added as larger volumes of vaccine become available. The current list of pharmacies participating is available here. Find the participating pharmacies near you now on the new map tool.

Individuals who experience a severe or unusual reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination can report it by calling 811. Anyone experiencing a severe reaction such as difficulty breathing should call 911. Any adverse event that may be related to a vaccination is reported in order to continuously monitor the safety of vaccines.

Submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 269 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on May 8, bringing the provincial total to 42,964 cases.

No new deaths are reported.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 11; North West, 25; North Central, 23; North East, three; Saskatoon, 73; Central West, one; Central East, 22; Regina, 51; South West, 10; South Central, 14; and South East, 31. Five new cases are pending residence information. One case with pending residence information has been assigned to the North Central zone.

Recoveries total 40,169 and 2,293 cases are considered active.

There are 168 people in hospital. One hundred and twenty-six people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 9; North Central, 3; North East, 4; Saskatoon, 57; Central East, 2; Regina, 42; South West, 1; South Central, 3; and South East, 5. Forty-two people are in intensive care: North Central, 3; Saskatoon, 15; Central East, 2; Regina, 20; South West, 1; and South Central, 1.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 222 (18.1 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available here.

There were 3,803 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 7, 2021.

To date, 797,074 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan. As of May 6, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 668,861 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 852,749.

As of May 7, 8,103 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 179; Far North East, 6; North West, 285; North Central, 205; North East, 44; Saskatoon, 980; Central West, 91; Central East, 360; Regina, 4,155; South West, 256; South Central, 591; and South East, 830. There are 121 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 83 new lineage results reported today. Of the 3,114 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 3,064 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 41 are P.1 (Brazilian) and nine are B.1.351 (SA).

Facebook/NITHA Saskatchewan

NITHA numbers

There are 33 active cases of COVID-19 in NITHA communities.
These cases are located in the Far North West, 18, Far North East, nine, and North East, six; 3,452 cases (98 per cent) have recovered.

Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) public health officials are advising northern residents that COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) are increasing in northern Saskatchewan. These VOCs are 30-70 percent more transmissible, meaning they spread more easily thus it’s more important than ever before to follow the Public Health Order. Getting tested, knowing your COVID-19 status, getting your COVID-19 vaccine shot and following the safety guidelines can help protect yourself, your family and your community.

There are 19 active cases of COVID-19 Variants of Concern (VOCs) in NITHA communities. These cases are located in the Far North West (15), and Far North East (four).

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

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