Saskatchewan getting 2,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

One day after Saskatchewan’s health minister said he hoped the province soon would get some doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the province said Tuesday that 2,500 doses are on the way.

The Ministry of Health said the federal government has sent an initial supply of the one-shot vaccine to Saskatchewan. When those doses will arrive is unknown.

In an emailed statement, the federal government said it had procured 20,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through a deal with France.

The feds said the doses are expected to arrive in Canada this week, at which time they’ll be distributed to the provinces that have requested the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Health Canada approved the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier this year, but Canada’s shipment wasn’t used because of concerns over the plant where the doses were made.

Monoclonal antibody treatment

The provincial government also announced it had launched an online self-assessment tool for the use of monoclonal antibodies.

The treatment is available only for eligible patients who have contracted COVID-19. Anyone who has tested positive and is within five days of being symptomatic can be referred for the treatment by a physician.

During a technical briefing Tuesday, Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone said fewer than 10 people have received the monoclonal antibody treatment so far in the province.

The SHA was prepared to treat five to seven people with monoclonal antibodies per day, but Livingstone said that target has not yet been met due to a lack of demand.