Sask. reopen roadmap vaccination targets were 'waypoints': Dr. Shahab
Saskatchewan is eyeing the finish line for COVID-19 public health measures despite remaining short of its vaccination targets set out in the reopening roadmap
The province’s chief medical health officer is confident Saskatchewan can reopen safely.
"[The vaccination targets] were waypoints that tell us we’re moving in the right direction and that combined with our case numbers coming down, it sets us up well," Dr. Saqib Shahab told CTV News on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, Saskatchewan announced all public health measures would be lifted despite remaining short of its vaccination targets.
After surpassing one million total doses on Tuesday, the province has now reached the target of 70 per cent of residents 18-and-over with a first dose.
There are still more than 13,000 more doses needed to hit the 70 per cent mark of all eligible residents with one dose.
Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine, an epidemiologist and community health professor at the University of Saskatchewan, worries that lifting the restrictions could undermine the vaccine rollout with more than 30 per cent of residents still unvaccinated.
"If all the restrictions have been lifted, people don’t have any incentive, any motivation, to get a second dose because they’re already doing things that they’ve been wanting to do," he said.
Dr. Muhajarine believes reopening during the summer will provide the province additional protection from the virus spread growing and allow a buffer to push vaccination rates higher.
"It is kind of fortuitous that we are hitting that wall for the remaining 10 to 15 per cent of our first doses during summer months," he said. "It gives us a little bit of breathing room, but we shouldn't be relaxing, we shouldn't be shouldn't think that we have crossed the finish line."
An online survey by Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies found that a third of Saskatchewan residents are open to lifting all restrictions, which is the highest in Canada, while 58 per cent said it isn’t time yet, the lowest mark in the country.
"I’m ready to have everything open and get going," one Regina resident said.
Another added, "We’re heading in the right direction, but I think it’s still a little bit too early, I would still like to see more vaccinated."
"I know we’re not quite there, but we’re pretty close," added another resident. "I just want us to proceed cautiously."
Saskatchewan reported its lowest single day case numbers since October of last year on Tuesday.
Dr. Shahab said moving into summer will help keep case numbers low as more people are vaccinated.
"If there are clusters of cases, which may still happen, primarily if groups who are under-vaccinated or unvaccinated get together, that will unfortunately still happen and they will have to be managed," he said.
Dr. Muhajarine encouraged anyone who is vaccinated to talk about their vaccination to help others feel more willing to get the shot.
"We have to be very targeted in our messaging, but it's not only the government," he said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't be talking among our neighbours, or coworkers, among our friends and family, and let everyone know that you have got two doses, you're fully vaccinated, and you're happy about that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
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.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.