Sask. government prepares for joint COVID-19 booster, flu shot campaign in fall
The Government of Saskatchewan is gearing up for a joint COVID-19 booster and influenza vaccination program in the fall.
However, officials have no plans to increase second booster eligibility at this time.
“We are not announcing any expansion at this point. We need more people currently eligible under the existing criteria to go and get their shots,” said a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Saskatchewan residents who are 50 years old or older are eligible for a second booster of COVID-19 vaccine. All adults living in long-term care, personal care or other senior congregate living settings are also eligible for a second booster.
“Right now (eligibility) is still going to be over 50 because that’s where we’ve seen the most impact from COVID,” said Health Minister Paul Merriman.
“If I can get one message out to everybody, please go in and get your booster shots as soon as you possibly can. It will protect you from any severe effects from COVID-19.”
There is the potential for COVID-19 transmission to spike again in the fall, according to the Ministry of Health.
The statement said a number of residents currently eligible have yet to receive their second and third doses. The ministry encourages these people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations this summer “to reduce transmission and severe outcomes this fall.”
In the province’s weekly COVID-19 update for June 12 to 18, officials said immunization rates for both primary and booster vaccinations “have remained stable for the last four weeks.”
As of June 18, 52.7 per cent of all adults and 49.4 per cent of people 12 and older had received at least one booster dose.
According to the ministry, unvaccinated individuals are three times more likely to be hospitalized and six times more likely to end up in intensive care or die due to COVID-19 compared to people with at least three doses of vaccine.
June 30 will be the last weekly COVID-19 update from the province before it switches to monthly reports at the recommendation of chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.
“We weren’t seeing a lot of activity in those reports,” Merriman said.
“We think this will paint a more accurate picture for COVID-19 as it is now, I think, the fourth or fifth highest respiratory illness in our province. There are other illnesses that are out there as well.”
Merriman said other jurisdictions have already made the reporting switch.
A three-week report will be released on July 21, covering the period of June 26 to July 16.
The first monthly report will be released on Aug. 18 for the period of July 17 to Aug. 13.
Epidemiologist Nazeem Muhajarine is “very disappointed” with the government’s data reporting approach. He said the information is already limited, adding further limitations will prevent people from doing their own risk assessments.
Muhajarine said people can likely manage without weekly updates in the summer, but he worries what information will be available if COVID-19 spikes in the fall. Without it, he said people will be operating in the dark.
“We want transparent and accurate data,” Muhajarine said.
“Numbers are everything. What gets measured and counted gets attention and gets done.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.