Roll-out for COVID-19 vaccine second doses begins Monday.
Effective at 8:00 a.m., this will apply to anyone who is 85 and older or who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine before February 15th. Those being treated for cancer, are bone marrow transplant recipients, or who have a blood cancer diagnosed within the last 2 years, and those who have received solid organ transplants are also now eligible to book their second doses.
Those with these medical conditions will receive a letter of confirmation in the mail to present upon immunization.
For all other residents, eligibility to book for second doses will be announced according to the age-based and priority sequencing of first doses. Eligibility criteria for first doses remains unchanged at 20 years and older. It remains 18 and older in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.
What You Need to Know:
Starting Monday, second dose vaccinations will be available at participating pharmacies across the province, through the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) drive-thru and walk-in clinics as well as through clinics operated by Indigenous Services Canada and the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority (NITHA). At this time online booking is not yet available for second doses, it is anticipated to be available later this week, and will be announced in an immunization update.
Residents will be required to know the date of their first immunization. That information was noted on the card presented at the first dose immunization, or if misplaced can be found by calling 1-833-SASKVAX (1-833-727-5829), or checking Immunization History on the resident’s MySaskHealthRecord account.
The brand of the second dose must match the brand of the first dose. National reviews of the safety and efficacy of interchanging the second dose brand are on-going and the provincial policy on maintaining the same brand for the second dose may be updated following this review.
During the second dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of the first dose to ensure the resident is receiving the second dose within the recommended timeframe. The type of vaccine available at each location will be confirmed when booking online or over the phone, or for drive-thru and walk-in clinics the vaccine brand will be noted on the COVID-19 Immunization Update PSA’s, and on the online schedule.
Reminder to residents that clinic availability is based on vaccine availability, and demand for appointments outweighs the current supply.
Residents are encouraged to consider immunization at their local pharmacy, or at a drive-thru or walk-in clinic.
Details on pharmacy immunizations can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.
Details on drive-thru and walk-in clinics can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.
