Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high in both the Battlefords and throughout Saskatchewan.
There have been long lineups and reports at various drive-through locations of clinics shutting down for the day after using all of their available vaccines.
The Battlefords drive-through at 391 Yellowhead Highway 16 in Battleford saw high numbers when they were operation this past weekend — so high that they used up their entire vaccine supply on Saturday and had to close.
According to the SHA’s Twitter feed: “#NorthBattleford you came out to the drive-thru in high numbers today and our vaccine supply is depleted for now, so we’re done for today. The drive-thru will also be closed tomorrow (May 30). Thanks for helping us #stickittocovid North Battleford!”
A possible reason for the high interest on Saturday was the province expanded eligibility for second doses to those 70 and over, a couple of days ahead of schedule.
Some other locations are reporting reasonable wait times and doses available as of Monday. A full list of drive-through vaccination sites can be found at https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/service-alerts-emergency-events/Pages/COVID-19-Vaccine-Drive-Thru-Wait-Times.aspx, which lists which locations are open and which brand of vaccine is available, and also provides a links to approximate wait times at drive-throughs as well as walk-in clinics.
It is expected the drive-through in Battleford will be back open once more supplies come in, but the date is not confirmed as of yet.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has begun rolling out its school vaccination program starting Monday and continuing throughout June for those ages 12 to 17.
It is confirmed Living Sky School Division will be seeing vaccinations take place at their schools. At Living Sky School board last Wednesday, Director of Education Brenda Vickers reported to the board that the local health officials had been communicating directly with schools about the setup they need and the dates for those vaccinations.
While the school vaccination program goes on, pharmacies will be taking on a larger portion of the load for vaccine bookings for June.
A number of local area pharmacies including Discovery Co-op, Walmart, Pharmasave and Shoppers Drug Mart have been offering bookings. Links to those pharmacies offering vaccines have now been posted at the SHA’s website at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies#utm_campaign=q2_2015&utm_medium=short&utm_source=%2Fcovid19-pharmacies .
There have been widespread reports of wait lists at pharmacies, as well as reports of difficulties encountered by seniors in booking their second shots at those pharmacies. However, the situation has varied depending on the location.
At last Tuesday’s provincial COVID-19 update, provincial officials acknowledged some of those challenges, particularly for seniors who are eligible for second doses. SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said they are looking at more options such as walk-in clinics for seniors that might be more convenient. Also, they are expanding booked appointments within the SHA and working on logistics with the pharmacies.
Premier Scott Moe said at the news conference that the province is “constantly looking at what is working and what is not working, how do we fix what isn’t working and how do we really enhance what is working.”
Moe acknowledged that in the early days of the vaccine rollout they were “sluggish” out of the gate, but through that process of reviewing “we’ve led the country in providing quick and rapid access to vaccines.”
Moe said the SHA clinics and booking system has worked well, and added, “I think there is a place for that to remain for maybe our elderly residents trying to access their second shot, maybe some of our many rural communities accessing their second shot.”
Moe said there was also a place for pharmacies. He said they had been working closely with them and would continue to work with them to support the pharmacy rollout.
Livingstone was also asked about getting vaccines to underserved communities, with reports cited of long lineups at drive-throughs and of people signing up at multiple pharmacies on wait lists.
In response, Livingstone pointed to some of the SHA’s initiatives such as the use of mobile clinics and pop-up clinics in many communities. He also noted they had prioritized the far North first to access those harder-to-reach communities.
As they get to the high percentages of vaccination rates, Livingstone said they can “focus more of our resources on those specialty type clinics, like the newcomers, like some of the things we’ve done with homeless shelters, and also with some of the schools.” In some communities, they would be allowing families to come to the school to be vaccinated with their kids.
“The team has been told to examine any option to make vaccine available to Saskatchewan residents, using any means possible,” said Livingstone. “Through more education and being more innovative with our clinics, we hope to get to more Saskatchewan residents as quickly as possible.”
