Saskatchewan is one percentage point away from hitting the vaccination level needed to begin the final phase of the Reopening Roadmap.
Healthcare workers administered 14,849 vaccine doses on Saturday, including 1,255 in North Central, 188 in the Far North West, 97 in the Far North East, 474 in the North East, and one in Far North Central.
That increase means 69 per cent of Saskatchewan adults have now received their first vaccine dose. The final phase starts three weeks after Saskatchewan hits the 70 per cent mark.
Premier Scott Moe took to social media on Sunday to urge reluctant residents to get their first shot.
“We’re almost there Saskatchewan,” Moe wrote. “Just one per cent more of you need to get your first shot to reach the start of Step Three on our Re-Opening Roadmap and remove most of the remaining COVID restrictions as early as July 11.”
“If you haven’t done so already, please go get your first shot this week,” he added.
Phase two of the reopen plan begins on June 20. That means restaurants can serve customers with no limits on table capacity, and long-term and personal care homes can allow four visitors indoors instead of two, and nine visitors outdoors instead of four. Precautionary measures like masking and physical distancing will still be in place.
Capacity limits for restaurants and licenced establishments will also end, although staff and customers must still maintain two metres of physical distance, and the private indoor gathering cap will also increase from 10 to 15 people.
The mandatory mask order will end after 70 per cent of residents age 12 and older get their first dose, provided at least three weeks have passed since the beginning of step two. All restrictions on indoor gatherings will also end at that time.
As of Sunday, 67 per cent of residents ages 12 and older have received their first dose.
Those at least 50 years of age or older can book appointments for their second dose starting on Monday. Second doses will also be given to residents 12 and older who received their first dose on or before April 15.
Cancer and solid organ transplant patients will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail giving them priority access to a second dose.
The manufacturers interval determines how long residents must wait before getting their second dose. For Moderna, the wait is 28 days after the first dose. For Pfizer, it’s 21 days.
Residents may receive their second doses up to four months following their first dose, but the province highly recommends they get their second dose as soon as they are eligible.
Vaccination appointments can be booked online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-727-5829. A map of all pharmacies administering the COVID vaccine is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies.
As of Sunday, more than 203,000 residents are fully vaccinated, including 14,932 in North Central.
Sunday COVID update
Provincial health officials reported 65 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, along with 131 recoveries and no new deaths.
North Central reported four new cases and seven more recoveries. One out of province case was also added to North Central’s total. There are now 89 active cases in the region.
Prince Albert reported two new cases on Sunday. Zone 1 and Zone 3 reported one new case each.
There are now 40 active cases in Prince Albert, 42 in Zone 1, and 7 in Zone 3.
The Far North West reported four new cases and six more recoveries. There are now 35 active cases in the region.
The Far North East reported one new case and 11 more recoveries. There are now 33 active cases in the region.
Far North Central continues to have no active cases.
The North East Zone, which includes Melfort, Nipawin, and Tisdale, reported no new cases and seven recoveries, bringing their active case total to 21.
As of Sunday, there are 809 active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Zone has the highest number with 192, followed by the Regina Zone with 117, and the North West Zone with 115.
There are 95 patients in hospital with COVID-19, 20 of which are in intensive care. Three of those ICU patients are in North Central.
