A number of drive-thru and walk-in clinic options are being offered in the coming days in the hopes of attracting more first time vaxxers. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Public safety

Prince Albert MHO responds to COVID conspiracy theories and why more people need to get vaccinated

Jun 18, 2021 | 1:26 PM

Prince Albert’s local medical health officer is pleading for more people to roll up their sleeves, not only for their own safety but also their community.

According to Thursday’s numbers from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, 69 per cent of adults in the province 18 and over received a first dose of COVID vaccine. In the northeast zone, which covers an area from Rosthern to the Manitoba border and from Blaine Lake to Athabasca, the number is even lower at 55 per cent.

Dr Randall Friesen explained one of the challenges with the vaccination rollout has been getting vaccine to smaller, northern communities, but he also acknowledged there’s been issues with communication using the age based system.

“It hard to follow, it’s hard to track, especially for people who maybe aren’t comfortable with the internet or don’t have good access. Sometimes you miss the opportunity and go ‘I didn’t know that was on,'” he said.

By Sunday, 70 per cent of adults 18 plus need to be vaccinated in order for the province to move on to the next step of the re-open road map, and lift capacity limits at restaurants and bars, while increasing capacity at casinos and bingo halls to 150, and lifting measures for youth and adult sports, essentially among other measures.

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Friesen acknowledged another reason for peoples’ possible hesitancy towards getting vaccinated may be due to just the fear of just trying something new, or because of something they had read on the internet. He challenged those people to talk to someone they know and trust, like physicians or another health care professional.

“And ask what have you witnessed? Talk to people about what it’s like to have COVID, talk to someone who’s had COVID or someone who has seen people on ventilators in the ICU,” Friesen said.

Denouncing any suggestions that medical professionals are in any way benefitting from the vaccination companies, or have any other interest beyond protecting the public, Friesen further encouraged people with questions, to explore less familiar websites such as ones run by the medical associations or the Mayo Clinic.

“Who really thinks that the Americans and the Russians and the Chinese and India and South Africa are all on the same page, that they have all conspired against the poor public person. That’s a pretty big stretch, I think,” Friesen said. “I find that much harder to believe than the theory that people are doing their best.”

Reflecting back on the past 15 months, Friesen said the pandemic has really taxed our health system, adding the vaccination program is our best chance of returning to normalcy.

“Our hospital was so full of COVID patients, we had to cancel all the surgeries and you think of the impact of that on people who needed surgery. There was a huge price to be paid by people who were innocent bystanders,” he said.

Local vaccination clinic options

To help drive up the province’s vaccination number, a number of drive-thru and walk in sites are being offered in the coming days across the province.

In the Prince Albert area, there’s walk-in sites Friday afternoon at both the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre and Senator Allen Bird gym. These are only for first doses and the Pfizer vaccine is being administered.

There’s also a clinic open at the Christopher Lake Legion Hall until 7 p.m

Saturday and Sunday, the regular drive thru site north of the Diefenbaker Bridge is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. First and second doses will be offered.

The government announced late Friday afternoon they’re hosting numerous walk-in and drive-thru vaccine clinics in northern communities this weekend. They’re open for both first and second doses.

List of northern Saskatchewan communities who will be hosting vaccine clinics this weekend. (Government of Saskatchewan)

Eligibility​ for the COVID-19 immunization drive-thru and walk-in vaccine clinics for second doses is open to those 45 years of age and older on the date of immunization or anyone of any age who received their first dose on or before May 1​​, and residents of the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District over the age of 18, regardless of when they received their first dose, as long as they have a minimum interval between doses of 21 days for Pfizer, or 28 days for Moderna or AstraZeneca.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell