Saskatchewan’s Premier didn’t mince words in his message to all of those who choose not to get vaccinated and who campaign for others to not get vaccinated because it infringes on their freedoms. Scott Moe says everyone who is getting COVID-19 shots enjoy their freedoms just as much. Then he added that it seems ridiculous to have to mention this, but, “Vaccines eradicated smallpox, vaccines eradicated polio, and vaccines will greatly decrease fatalities from COVID-19 so long as enough of us go out and get them.”

However, Moe noted the overwhelming majority of Saskatchewan people have been making the right choice and that is why the province is able to move forward with Step One of the re-open plan on Sunday, which now includes outdoor team sports. The plan was originally to allow outdoor team sports in Step Two, but Moe says because of the lower risk of transmission outdoors and the successful uptake in vaccinations to date, the decision was made to move outdoor sports to Step One.

For those that received AstraZeneca as their first shot, it’s not yet known for sure what the second shot will be. Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer says the risk of a blood clot remains rare, and even more so with a second shot. Dr. Saqib Shahab is also still waiting for some guidance from international studies on having Pfizer as a second dose when AstraZeneca was the first dose. So far, Shahab says, it looks like a second dose of Pfizer would be safe.

The recommendation for AstraZeneca vaccines is to have the second dose around the 12 week mark, and since the first doses were handed out in mid-March, that would mean second doses should be expected to begin in the next week or two. Around 73,000 Saskatchewan residents received the AstraZeneca vaccine. The recommendation for Pfizer and Moderna is to have second shots by the 16 week mark.