Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili and Health Critic Vicki Mowat speak to reporters outside the Saskatoon Public Health office on Sept. 15, 2021. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

By Libby Giesbrecht/ CJME News

‘They should be getting a call today:’ Sask. NDP calls for 2nd shot strategy

Sep 15, 2021 | 3:57 PM

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the provincial government to implement a strategy that will encourage people with their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to roll up their sleeves for Round 2.

Opposition Leader Ryan Meili put out the call while speaking to reporters in front of the Saskatoon Public Health office on Wednesday.

Joined by Health Critic Vicki Mowat, Meili said nothing is being done by the government to combat the rising numbers of COVID-19 seen in Saskatchewan.

Mowat cited the rising cases in the province, paired with Saskatchewan’s low vaccine uptake, as concerning. She also noted there is nothing in place currently in Saskatchewan to ensure that someone who receives their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will follow through on receiving their second shot.

“We’re talking about 70,000 people across the province who we know that they’re not vaccine hesitant because they’ve had that first dose,” Mowat said.

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On Tuesday, the province recorded its highest daily case count with 506 new cases of the virus. It added 475 new cases on Wednesday.

Meili proposed a strategy where calls are made to individuals who have received their first shot and are eligible to receive their second.

“They should be getting a call today,” Meili told reporters. “Let’s start right away with the easiest lift (to vaccine numbers), the people who are partway there but still aren’t protected.”

The rising cases in the province are taking a toll on Saskatchewan health-care workers and the health system. Meili reported some patients are receiving care in the waiting rooms of Saskatchewan hospitals due to the high numbers of COVID-19 inpatients.

“Our health-care system is getting overwhelmed,” Meili said, attributing the lack of rules in place to Premier Scott Moe’s allegiance to his own political ideology over the health of residents in the province.

“The pressures on our health-care system are enormous and they were predictable.”

The Opposition leader asked people in the province to mask up and practise social distancing as ways of protecting themselves against the virus.

“We should bring in indoor mask mandates … It takes a while for any new measure to get things under control,” he said.

Meili also noted he’d like to see government restrictions put in place in schools — where children under 11 still cannot receive the vaccine — to limit the spread of COVID-19.