Health Minister Paul Merriman. (File photo/Submitted)

By Logan Stein/CJME News

Sask. doesn’t want to mix and match vaccines unless necessary: Merriman

May 17, 2021 | 7:40 PM

As long as there aren’t significant supply issues, Saskatchewan does not plan on giving residents a different vaccine if they got AstraZeneca the first time around.

That’s according to Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman, who spoke to Gormley on Monday.

“We’re anticipating that we can get some more AstraZeneca,” Merriman said. “Our preference is not to mix the two different vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna, with AstraZeneca. We prefer to keep AstraZeneca going in one individual if that’s what they received in their first shot.

“But this is all based on vaccine supply from the federal government, which has been a little bit hit and miss, certainly with AstraZeneca.”

Merriman said some 72,000 doses of AstraZeneca were given to Saskatchewan residents as first doses. The province has 1,500 doses left and is expecting to receive 20,000 more this week, so those will be used as second doses.

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However, that leaves more than 50,000 AstraZeneca recipients wondering what they’ll be getting for a second shot.

The province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said Tuesday that Pfizer likely would make up the bulk of the second doses given in Saskatchewan.

Merriman said Pfizer has been Saskatchewan’s “foundational vaccine” and, in June, more than 73,000 doses per week are slated to arrive in the province. He noted 32,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected this week as well and are likely destined for areas where that vaccine was given as a first dose.

The demand for vaccinations continues to be high in Saskatchewan and, starting Monday, people 85 years of age or older or those who received their first dose before Feb. 15 are now able to get their second shot.

“That puts them right at about the 13-week zone (from first shot to second), which is still well within what Health Canada and NACI (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization) has recommended,” Merriman said. “We’re going to keep rolling that (age of eligibility) down; every five years is going to drop down within probably five to six days.

“(It’ll be) very similar to how we’re rolling it out now (for first doses), just because (with) the quantity of vaccines that we have now versus when we did this back in February, we’ve got a lot more on hand so we’ll be able to roll through those age categories very quickly.”

Meanwhile, the age of eligibility for first shots also continues to drop. After falling to 20 and over on Sunday, it will drop to 16 and over on Tuesday and then 12 and over on Thursday.

Those in their 20s have taken advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated at drive-through and walk-in clinics or at pharmacies around the province.

“There was a little bit of concern that the younger generation wouldn’t come out in droves like the other generations did, but man, did they come out this weekend with some big numbers,” said Merriman, referring to back-to-back days with more than 18,000 vaccinations.

“Unfortunately we had to close down our drive-throughs in Regina and Saskatoon just due to the volume that came through over the weekend.”

Merriman said the drive-through in Regina could reopen as early as Wednesday.

The health minister hopes the demand for vaccines continues as the province inches closer to easing more restrictions.

“It’s extremely encouraging that people are still coming out,” he said. “We’ve got long lineups at the drive-through, which as the health minister, that’s very encouraging that we’re having people come out and (are) willing to wait a couple of hours to be able to get the vaccine.

“They’re feeling it’s that important.”