Saskatchewan is allowing care homes with high COVID-19 vaccination rates to allow visitors, even if those visitors haven’t been vaccinated themselves.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and province announced the change Thursday.
Starting next Thursday, if long-term and personal care homes that have had at least 90 per cent of residents fully vaccinated, and if three weeks have passed since the last residents received a second dose of vaccinations, they will be able to welcome an unlimited number of family members or support people two at a time.
Facilities will also be able to allow up to four family members or support people to visit outdoors. Additionally, fully vaccinated care home residents will be able to go on outings without having to quarantine when they return.
Visitors will still have to follow guidelines on masking, physical distancing, hand washing, routine testing and temperature screening. Vaccinated residents must also abide by all public health measures if they leave a care home, including restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings.
Local medical health officers will also have the discretion to maintain restrictions even if the vaccination thresholds are met. That will depend on the local context, including the level of community transmission of COVID-19 and the number of cases within a home.
“Our goal is to vaccinate a significant portion of Saskatchewan’s population as quickly as possible,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley said Thursday.
“There is one segment of the population where we have achieved this goal — seniors living in our long-term care and personal homes.”
Long-term care homes were targeted as part of phase one of the province’s vaccine plan. According to the province, phase one is considered complete. Anyone who was targeted under phase one but has yet to receive a vaccine can still make an appointment to become vaccinated.
Hindley said about 43 facilities across the province have currently hit the threshold of having at least 90 per cent of residents fully vaccinated and three weeks passing since the last second doses of vaccine were administered. He said more are expected to reach that milestone in the coming days.
“We have all seen the tragic results that have occurred when COVID has entered seniors homes across Canada,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve had to enact very tight restrictions on visits to personal care and long-term care homes. Seniors in those homes have been significantly limited in their ability to visit in person with family members, in some cases, for over a year now. This had to be done to protect our seniors. It doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking.”
Hindley, who is also the Minister Responsible for Seniors, said questions about care home visiting restrictions have been the number one call to his office.
He said the lifting of visitor restrictions in fully-vaccinated long-term care homes is an example of what can be achieved if a large portion of the population gets vaccinated.
“The road back to normal is through vaccinations, and I think today’s announcement is just a small glimpse of what that looks like,” Hindley said.
‘We can’t fill up mosaic stadium just yet, but some of us can go visit mom on Mother’s Day. That’s a pretty good place to start. It’s one small step in getting back to the people we love to see, the places we love to go and the things we all love to do. The only way we will gt there is if we all do our part when it is our turn, roll up our sleeves and get vaccinated.”
Vaccine uptake increasing as younger age groups become eligible
Jurisdictions across Canada have been reporting higher vaccination rates as more younger residents seek the vaccine. Social media has been awash with humour about the enthusiasm as generation X, the generation between baby boomers and millennials, rushes to get a vaccine from wherever they can.
The trend is no different in Saskatchewan.
Several clinics have run out of vaccine, and reports have newly-eligible residents travelling from Regina to Weyburn, or from Saskatoon to North Battleford, just to receive their shot.
Several residents in their late 40s expressed frustration Thursday when the vaccine booking system was turning people away because all of the appointments had been reserved.
Officials encouraged them to keep trying, as more appointments will open up as more vaccines are received.
“The enthusiasm is reassuring,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Saqib Shahab.
Despite vaccine, eligibility increasing to 44-plus Thursday, and less than half of Saskatchewan residents in their 40s being able to access vaccine, so far the 40-year-old age group has a 17 per cent vaccine rate.
Shahab encouraged residents to keep trying to sign up for their vaccine.
“We have to find the earliest slot we can when our age group becomes eligible, and we have to continue to follow guidelines where we live,” he said.
“That’s important to ensure our health system is now overwhelmed.”
He said residents are encouraged to access vaccines as close to home as possible, but added that if residents travel to get a shot, so long as they follow health restrictions, go to the clinic and then go home, they aren’t at risk of spreading COVID-19 to the vaccination host community.
Shahab said vaccine uptake has been strong, especially in residents aged 70 and older, residents in long-term care homes and residents in their 50s and 40s. Vaccination rates among residents in their 60s “are coming up,” he said.
He encouraged other residents to remain patient.
“For young people who may become eligible over the next three to four weeks, watch out for when you’re eligible and get vaccinated as soon as your turn comes,” he said.
He also spoke to residents under the age of 16. No COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved in Canada for use in residents aged 16 or younger.
“This whole year has been hard,” he said.
“You can do lots of things safely outdoors. Please do continue to take advantage of the outdoors, but do be careful to not have large gatherings.”
He cited a large party in the southwest that has been linked to more than 40 cases of COVID-19. The event was widely reported to be a large teen party.
Pharmacies to begin vaccinations next week
While the province has run into the issue of having fewer vaccination appointments than there are people wanting to get vaccinated, pharmacies in some communities will be able to start giving COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next week.
The province announced Thursday that up to 63 pharmacies in 14 communities will start to receive vaccine on April 29 as part of a pilot program to offer COVID-19 vaccinations.
A limited amount of vaccine will be available for the pilot program.
Staff working in pharmacies and stores housing participating pharmacies are eligible for priority vaccination.
Booking for appointments will vary by pharmacy. Pharmacies will communicate directly with the public.
A list of participating pharmacies wasn’t available by press time, but it was expected that some pharmacies will start booking as early as today.
The pilot program for vaccinations in pharmacies is coming online as Saskatchewan expects higher, more frequent deliveries of vaccination in May and into June. Additional pharmacies will be added as more vaccine becomes available.
As of Thursday, vaccinations are available for residents aged 44 or older. It’s expected that eligibility will expand to all residents aged 40 or older as of next week. Additional frontline workers, such as correctional staff and teachers, will also become eligible for priority vaccination then.
