The first step of the phased approach to delivering COVID-19 vaccines to people starts Tuesday evening in Saskatchewan.

The first 1,950 doses arrived Tuesday with health care workers at the Regina General Hospital among the first to be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine (pictured) over the supper hour as part of a pilot to test the delivery and storage processes for the vaccine. The first health-care workers to be vaccinated are Dr. Jeffrey Betcher, the critical care lead for the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Regina and area, along with Regina Emergency Room Nurse Leah Sawatsky. The immunizations of health care workers in I-C-Us, Emergency Departments and COVID units at Regina General and Pasqua Hospitals plus staff at testing and assessment centres will take place over a number of days with their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine coming 21 days after the first one.

Later this month, phase 1 of the vaccine delivery plan will focus on immunizing priority populations who are at a higher risk of exposure to the virus and those more at risk of serious illness. The province says officials are planning the logistics of transporting, storing and distributing the vaccine as it becomes available. Then widespread vaccination of the rest of the province is expected to begin in April. Premier Scott Moe encourages everyone to get vaccinated when the vaccine is made available to them.