Reading, movies and crosswords: People wait hours for shots at Regina drive-through

Whether it’s watching a movie, reading a book or taking the time to phone an old friend, when you’re waiting around for up to four hours to get a vaccination, you have plenty of time on your hands.

That was the message reiterated by many people as they sat in their vehicles twiddling their thumbs Friday, waiting to move up in the lengthy line at the drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Evraz Place.

“The end of the line still means I’m ahead of a lot of people,” said Brian Murray, who was in one of the last vehicles in a line of hundreds at the clinic.

“I’m more than happy to sit through this. It’s worth it. I made sure I had a full tank of gas, a full mug of coffee, an extra bagel and I’m taking my time just relaxing.”

The drive-through previously administered only doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 55 and over, following recommendations by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization about the use of that vaccine.

With demand decreasing for AstraZeneca at the Regina clinic due to the age restriction — and perhaps due to the blood clotting concerns that led to the NACI recommendation — the Saskatchewan government decided Thursday to change its approach at the drive-through.

As of Friday, the clinic was to dole out the Pfizer vaccine to people aged 53 and 54 only, allowing people who hadn’t been vaccinated yet a chance to get their shots.

That resulted in Friday’s lineup.

Murray was not the only person to look at the long lineup as some time to relax, as most people said they were more than willing to wait no matter how long the line was.

Waiting for hours on end can get tiresome, though.

Walking through the congested lines of vehicles, it was easy to see many people struck with severe boredom, as crosswords and books were propped up against steering wheels.

One couple, Ray and Cindy, had a miniature table set up in their vehicle as they had lunch and watched a movie. They described their willingness to wait as doing their part.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Ray said. “We didn’t think it would be quite this long; (I) only was expecting a couple hours. But five or six hours for prevention of this virus …”

“We think is well worth it,” Cindy added, completing his sentence.

Reading Stephen King novels, having a romantic lunch with your wife and catching up on 'Pawn Stars' are just some of the things people have done to keep busy.

People have been waiting in line around 4 hours to get vaccinated. #COVID19 #YQR #Sask #Regina pic.twitter.com/fDrkAh6HWT

— Logan Stein (@L0ganStein) April 9, 2021

Meanwhile, Premier Scott Moe has given exact dates as to when people in Saskatchewan may be eligible to get their first COVID vaccine dose.

Moe said those 50 and older should get their first shot by next Thursday, with those 40 and older likely to get their first dose by April 26. People 30 and over should get their first vaccination by May 10, with everyone over 18 expected to be inoculated by May 17.

As of Friday, 256,280 doses of COVID vaccines had been administered in the province.