Saskatchewan’s Health Minister says vaccinations of health care workers began Tuesday afternoon at Merlis Belsher Place. Paul Merriman notes that Prince Albert can expect 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on January 4th, with regular deliveries to all of Saskatchewan beginning shortly after that.

The Moderna vaccine is expected to be approved by Health Canada this week and deliveries will begin shortly thereafter. Merriman says the first on the list for the Moderna vaccine are long term care and personal care home staff and residents.

He understands how difficult this Christmas will be for many people who have to be apart this year, but he explains that household contacts are one of the main sources of transmission and large gatherings would almost certainly result in a large spike in cases.

Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab believes most people understand the new restrictions around public and household  gatherings, but just in case there are any questions, he says families are to stay home but a single person can join a family of less than five people. Single parents and children are considered a household and can’t get together with another household, but co-parenting and caregiving arrangements remain in place. Children who may have been away billeting or attending school are able to come home, because their primary residence would still be their parents’ home.

Dr. Shahab is concerned about people gathering over the holidays, saying over Thanksgiving when the numbers were much lower Public Health officials were concerned about a rise in transmission numbers and now that risk is much greater.