June 1 COVID-19 update: AstraZeneca second doses begin June 7, one death, 86 new cases

Vaccines Reported

An additional 5,304 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 730,952.  

The 5,304 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far North West, 20; Far North Central, 6; Far North East, 85; North West, 369; North Central, 435; North East, 84; Saskatoon, 1,675; Central West, 63; Central East, 214; Regina, 1,933; South West, 11; South Central, 93; and South East, 195.  There were 121 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-seven per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose.  Seventy-one per cent of those 30+ have received their first dose.  Sixty-six per cent of those 18+ have received their first dose.

Note: Age is calculated on the date of the most recent dose.  Someone age 69 at their first dose and 70 at their second will now be counted in the 70-79 group for both doses, resulting in a decrease in the 60-69 first dose number. 

All vaccine administration details for the province, including first and second doses, can be found at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness.

Second Dose Booking Eligibility Moves to 65+ Starting June 2

Second dose age eligibility will be lowered to 65+ beginning Wednesday, June 2, up from the original projected date of June 7.  Residents who received their first dose on or before March 22 will also become eligible. 

Second dose vaccinations are currently open to residents 70+ and anyone who received their first dose before March 15, 2021.  All residents age 50+ in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District are also eligible as soon as they meet the product monograph for their first dose vaccine type.  For Moderna, this is 28 days from the first dose and for Pfizer, 21 days from the first dose.  Note that all vaccines approved in Canada are safe and effective to receive up to four months after the initial dose.

Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose. 

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose.  Residents who meet at least one of these criteria are eligible for their second dose.  The following table is a tentative guideline for those who received Pfizer or Moderna for their first dose; timelines may change due to vaccine availability:

Second dose vaccination appointments can be booked through the Saskatchewan Health Authority online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

A map of participating pharmacies across the province is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.  This online tool includes links to pharmacy booking websites and provides details on the vaccine brand being offered at each location.

For street addresses and hours of operation for drive-thru and walk-in clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.  If you do not know the date of your first dose or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, 1-833-SaskVax can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization.  Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment.  More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

During your second-dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe.  The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised to ensure that you are receiving the same vaccine brand for your second dose.

Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.

Saskatchewan Following NACI Guidance on Second Doses

Today, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released guidance on the interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Canada, meaning the potential of receiving a different type of COVID-19 vaccine for your second dose than you received for your first dose.  Effective immediately, the provincial vaccination roll out plan will incorporate this guidance to ensure safe and rapid deployment of vaccines to residents.  Their recommendations are based on current scientific evidence of the vaccines and expert review.

Persons who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine may receive either AstraZeneca vaccine or an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) for their second dose, unless contraindicated. 

Persons who received a first dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) should be offered the same mRNA vaccine for their second dose.  If the same mRNA vaccine is not readily available or unknown, another mRNA vaccine can be considered interchangeable and should be offered to complete the vaccine series.

Saskatchewan anticipates having an adequate supply of all vaccine types in order to provide residents with the second dose they prefer.  All vaccines approved in Canada are safe.  Health Canada and provincial health public health officials will be monitoring the interchangeability of vaccines to ensure effective protection against COVID-19.  All residents need to receive two doses of the two-dose vaccines in order to achieve the best possible protection.  

AstraZeneca Second Dose Availability Begins June 7

Effective Monday, June 7, the Saskatchewan Health Authority will be establishing clinics for second doses of AstraZeneca to anyone who is eligible, according to the provincial age eligibility and date of first dose.  Details on which populations are now eligible for second doses administration are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking.  Details on clinic locations and hours will be announced this week.  Note that not all vaccine types are available at all clinic locations; vaccine type available by clinic is listed when that clinic is advertised.

Based on when your age category or date of first dose becomes eligible, you may be receiving the second dose of your AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as eight weeks after your first dose.  This includes those Saskatchewan residents under 40 who received AstraZeneca as their first dose.  Once you are eligible to receive your second dose, you remain eligible and may consider delaying until the recommended 12 week interval is reached though note that vaccine choice will be dependent on those vaccines that are available at the time you make your appointment.  

You will not be required to receive AstraZeneca as a second dose.  Anyone who received AstraZeneca as a first dose is eligible to receive a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their second dose if that is your preference.  

Daily COVID-19 Statistics

There are 86 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on June 1, bringing the provincial total to 46,834 cases.  

One new death is reported today in the 70-79 age group from the Central East zone.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far North West, 1; Far North East, 1; North West, 4; North Central, 13; North East, 2; Saskatoon, 26; Central East, 4; Regina, 11; South West, 7; South Central, 13; and South East, 1.  Three new cases are pending residence information.  Three cases with pending residence information have been assigned to the North Central, 2; and North West, 1, zones.

Recoveries total 45,022 and 1,272 cases are considered active.

There are 108 people in hospital. Eighty-five people are receiving inpatient care: North West, 6; North Central, 5; North East, 1; Saskatoon, 33; Central East, 2; Regina, 31; South West, 2; South Central, 3; and South East, 2.  Twenty-three people are in intensive care: North West, 1; North Central, 4; Saskatoon, 11; Central East, 1; and Regina, 6.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 134 (11 per 100,000).  A chart comparing today's average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 1,719 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on May 31, 2021.

To date, 863,005 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.  As of May 30, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan's per capita rate was 726,543 tests performed per million population.  The national rate was 915,402.

As of May 31, 10,774 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far North West, 244; Far North East, 46; North West, 610; North Central, 473; North East, 59; Saskatoon, 1,697; Central West, 109; Central East, 597; Regina, 4,658; South West, 375; South Central, 763; and South East, 1,077.  There are 66 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are no new lineage results reported today.  Of the 5,713 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 5,529 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 144 are P.1 (Brazilian), 30 are B.1.617 (Indian) and 10 are B.1.351 (SA).

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case.  Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Step One of Saskatchewan's Re-Opening Roadmap is Underway

Step One of Saskatchewan's Re-Opening Roadmap is underway and public health orders have been updated.  Details on the Re-Opening Roadmap can be viewed at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/saskatchewans-re-opening-roadmap.

Reminder: while the restrictions being lifted are no longer mandatory, many are still recommended.  Older persons and those with increased risk factors may wish to wait until two weeks after receiving a second dose before attending gatherings.  Transmission is generally less likely outdoors than indoors.

Step Two of Saskatchewan's Re-Opening Roadmap is tentatively scheduled to begin on June 20.  If we continue to remain diligent and observe public health measures, we will reach our goal of re-opening our province in the coming weeks.

General COVID-19 Information

General public inquiries may be directed to [email protected].

Know your risk.  Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.