Coronavirus: Phase 1 of delivery plan begins with first COVID-19 vaccinations in Saskatoon

Nurses administer the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Saskatoon on Tuesday.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said another shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has arrived and started immunizing the first health-care workers in the city as the province moved into Phase 1 of its vaccine delivery plan.

Respiratory therapist Karen Schmid was the first to receive the vaccine in Saskatoon around 3 p.m.

“Quite an honour to be here and getting this done … and not have to worry about everyone potentially getting sick or not having the staff available to care for the patients when they’re coming into the hospital if they do so,” she said.

“Not only does it mean that I’ll be there for my patients when they’re coming in and be able to take care of them properly but it ensures that we’re keeping them safe, the family members that are maybe able to come in and see their family in the hospital keeping them safe as well as keeping our own family safe.

“Just knowing that we’re on the right start to working towards the goal of not having to worry about the pandemic. There is a light at the end and keeping family and friends safe as long as everyone still maintains proper measures — until we do get a chance to get everyone vaccinated — and social distancing and hand hygiene and ensuring we are wearing masks.”

1:28 COVID-19 vaccine here, but Moderna shot and health guidelines still needed: SHA

The immunization pilot in Regina began vaccinating on Dec. 15. As of Monday, 1,519 health-care workers have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

SHA said the vaccine is also being made available to select staff at Parkside Extendicare, who will be among the remaining 431 health-care workers to be immunized in Regina in the coming days.

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The first step of Phase 1 of the province’s vaccine delivery plan involves 1,950 health-care workers in Saskatoon ICUs, emergency departments, COVID units, testing and assessment centres receive their initial dose of the vaccine over several days.

The second dose of the vaccine will be administered to recipients within three to four weeks, according to a press release.

“We also expect 3,900 doses to be delivered to Prince Albert in the week of Jan. 4th and then regular weekly deliveries to our province after that. Those are just the Pfizer vaccines,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Government officials expect that complex travel restrictions for the Pfizer vaccine will be revised in the coming days, and more vaccines will become available, including Moderna, enabling the delivery plan to move into priority sequencing.

They said the development would include long-term care and personal care home residents, those in the 80 and over age range, residents over 50 in northern and remote areas and those in the 70 to 79 year age range.

The SHA said widespread access to the vaccine for the general population is part of Phase 2 of the plan, tentatively beginning in April 2021.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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