Second shot strategy: Sask. aims to have all people fully vaccinated by early August

Saskatchewan is hoping to have as many people as possible fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by early August.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health put out a tentative schedule for eligibility for second doses. The last group would become eligible July 26.

“By the end of July, Saskatchewan could be fully vaccinated,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said during a media conference. “It’s up to the Saskatchewan people doing your part and getting your shot.

“We are making so much progress. Every day with every shot in every arm, Saskatchewan becomes a safer place and we will get that much closer to getting things back to the way they should be. But we still have a little bit to go.”

The government stressed the timelines in its schedule could change because of vaccine availability. It also noted: “AstraZeneca is not included in this table as we await advice on the use of AstraZeneca for timing of second doses.”

Those 85 and over and those who received their first doses before Feb. 15 currently are eligible to get their second shots. People who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility that will give them priority access to a second dose.

After that, eligibility for second doses will be based on age or the date of a person’s first dose.

According to the government, the rest of the schedule is:

• May 24: Age of eligibility is 80 or first dose was received on or before March 1;
• May 31: Age of eligibility is 70 or first dose was received on or before March 15;
• June 7: Age of eligibility is 65 or first dose was received on or before March 22;
• June 14: Age of eligibility is 55 or first dose was received on or before April 7;
• June 21: Age of eligibility is 45 or first dose was received on or before April 15;
• June 28: First dose was received on or before May 1;
• July 5: First dose was received on or before May 15;
• July 12: First dose was received on or before May 30;
• July 19: First dose was received on or before June 14; and,
• July 26: First dose was received on or before June 28.

As of Tuesday, 49,008 people have received both of their doses and are considered fully vaccinated.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, said the suggested timeline could be reduced if vaccine supplies continue to flow into the province.

“While we had up to 16 weeks to get the second dose, because of improved vaccine supply, currently second doses will start at 13 weeks,” Shahab said. “But that timeline can get compressed safely.

“Over May (and) June, you may be getting second doses at eight weeks, for example, and then in July you can get second doses as soon as three (weeks) for Pfizer and as soon as four weeks for Moderna. So all that is looking very positive.”

Second doses will be available at participating pharmacies around the province or at Saskatchewan Health Authority drive-thru and walk-in clinics. They’ll also be given at clinics operated by Indigenous Services Canada and the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority (NITHA).

Appointments also can be booked online or by calling 1-833-727-5829.

The clinic or pharmacy will make sure people are eligible based on their age and the timing of their first dose. Those giving the shots also will make sure the individual is getting the same vaccine brand as they did in their first dose.

AstraZeneca update

There are still questions about giving a different vaccine to those who received AstraZeneca the first time around.

“At this time, public health is planning to offer your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to match the brand of your first dose,” the ministry said in a release. “National reviews of the safety and efficacy of interchanging the second dose brand are ongoing and the provincial policy on maintaining the same brand for the second dose may be updated following this review.”

On Monday, Merriman told Gormley that 72,000 Saskatchewan people received AstraZeneca as their first dose.

The province is expecting to get 20,000 doses of that vaccine this week, but it’s unknown what will happen for the other 52,000 people who received AstraZeneca as their first dose.

Shahab said during the conference call that supplies of that vaccine are coming to Canada, “so everybody who wants a second dose of AstraZeneca will be able to get a second dose.”

Shahab said that drug provides its highest level of long-term protection if a second dose is provided 12 weeks after the first, so he encouraged those who got AstraZeneca the first time around to wait for it to become available for a second dose.

“Even though if the second dose timelines are compressed and your age group is getting a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine a week or two earlier, you should really wait until you’re 12 weeks out with your AstraZeneca second dose and get it at that time,” Shahab said.

“We will be prioritizing bookings for AstraZeneca patients so they can get booked right in the week that they become eligible.”