Sask. health minister says province's COVID-19 vaccination rates an underestimation
REGINA -
Saskatchewan’s health minister said the province’s COVID-19 vaccination rates are an underestimation, because of people who no longer live in the province but still have Saskatchewan health cards.
“I wouldn’t say the vaccination rate is lowest amongst all the provinces,” Health minister Paul Merriman said Thursday.
While federal government information shows Saskatchewan has the lowest vaccination rate of all Canadian provinces.
Merriman said Saskatchewan’s rate appears lower because when people who have a Saskatchewan health card get the COVID-19 shot in another province, it doesn’t show up in our database.
“We have a group of people, whatever the number is, that are in another province that have been vaccinated, but according to their health records here in Saskatchewan, they haven’t been vaccinated,” said Merriman. “So, I think the number is a little skewed.”
Merriman said our first-dose vaccination rate of eligible people is “extremely high” in comparison to numbers across North America.
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