An additional 4,777 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan, bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 620,236.

The 4,777 doses of COVID-19 vaccine reported today were administered to residents living in the following zones: Far Northwest, 124; Far North Central, 1; Far Northeast, 22; Northwest, 487; North Central, 351; Northeast, 310; Saskatoon, 966; Central West, 450; Central East, 365; Regina, 877; Southwest, 120; South Central, 178; and Southeast, 408. There were 118 doses administered with zone of residence pending.

Seventy-five per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose. Sixty-eight per cent of those 30-plus have received their first dose. Sixty per cent of those 18-plus have received their first dose.

Vaccination Booking System Open to Ages 12-plus
Eligibility in the provincial age-based immunization program expanded today to age 12 and older, achieving the last step in Saskatchewan’s age-based first dose immunization program.

All residents ages 12-plus may book online at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19 or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). They may also attend a scheduled drive-thru or book at a participating pharmacy.

Additional information on how to book your appointment is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-vaccine-booking. Please do not call until you are eligible to book your vaccination appointment.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has scheduled drive-thru and walk-in clinics throughout the province. For street addresses and hours of operation for these clinics, see www.saskatchewan.ca/drive-thru-vax.

The current list of pharmacies offering vaccinations is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-pharmacies. Find participating pharmacies near you using the map tool.

There may be clinic options outside your community and residents are encouraged to consider those alternate locations for immunization. Additional stops should be avoided if possible when travelling to another community for an appointment. More clinics will be added as new vaccine shipments are received.

There is a vaccination clinic in Drayton, North Dakota where eligible truck drivers and essential energy workers are able to receive their vaccine. This clinic is open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Second Dose Booking Available for Priority Populations
Second dose vaccinations are underway for anyone who is 85 and older or who received their first dose before February 15. Individuals diagnosed with or being treated for cancer and those who have received solid organ transplants will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail that will allow them priority access to a second dose.

Eligibility to book for second doses is based on age or date of first dose. Residents who meet at least one of these criteria will be eligible for their second dose.

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).

Second dose vaccinations can be booked online or by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829). Be ready by knowing the date you received your first vaccine. If you do not know the date or have misplaced the wallet card provided at the time of your first dose, they can provide you with that date, or check your Immunization History on your MySaskHealthRecord account.

During your second dose appointment, the clinic or pharmacy will validate the timing and brand of your first dose to ensure you are receiving your second dose within the recommended timeframe. The type of vaccine available at each location will be advertised to ensure that you are receiving the same vaccine brand for your second dose.

At this time, public health is planning to offer your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to match the brand of your 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.

Daily COVID-19 Statistics
There are 146 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan May 20, bringing the provincial total to 45,128 cases.

The new cases are located in the following zones: Far Northwest, 2; Far Northeast, 2; Northwest, 10; North Central, 11; Northeast, 1; Saskatoon, 52; Central East, 18; Regina, 26; Southwest, 2; South Central, 8; and Southeast, 12. Two cases are pending residence information. One case with pending residence information has been assigned to the Northwest zone.

Recoveries total 42,821 and 1,785 cases are considered active.

There are 138 people in hospital. One hundred twelve people are receiving inpatient care: Northwest, 7; North Central, 7; Saskatoon, 44; Central East, 5; Regina, 42; Southwest, 1; South Central, 3; and Southeast, 3. Twenty-six people are in intensive care: North Central, 2; Saskatoon, 9; and Regina, 15.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 case number is 169 (13.8 new cases per 100,000). A chart comparing today’s average to data collected over the past few months is available at https://dashboard.saskatchewan.ca/health-wellness/covid-19/seven-day-average-of-new-covid-cases.

There were 3,069 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan May 19.

To date, 833,697 COVID-19 tests have been processed in Saskatchewan.

As of May 18, 2021, when other provincial and national numbers were available, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 700,532 tests performed per million population. The national rate was 888,144.

As of May 19, 9,687 variants of concern have been identified by screening in Saskatchewan, reported in the following zones: Far Northwest, 220; Far Northeast, 19; Northwest, 507; North Central, 335; Northeast, 57; Saskatoon, 1,409; Central West, 101; Central East, 490; Regina, 4,472; Southwest, 329; South Central, 700; and Southeast, 989. There are 59 screened VOCs with residence pending.

There are 262 new lineage results reported today. Of the 4,848 VOCs with lineages identified by whole genome sequencing in Saskatchewan, 4,735 are B.1.1.1.7 (UK), 96 are P.1 (Brazilian), 10 are B.1.351 (SA), and seven are B.1.617 (Indian).

Confirmed variant of concern cases may appear in both columns on the website, depending on testing for that case. Adding the cases identified by screening and those that have received whole genome sequencing may result in double-counting individual cases.

Further statistics on the total number of cases among health care workers, breakdowns of total cases by source of infection, age, sex and region, total tests to date, per capita testing rate and current numbers of confirmed variants of concern can be found at http://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-cases.

Reopen Saskatchewan Roadmap
Reopening the province is based on the rapid expansion and delivery of larger volumes of COVID-19 vaccine, with the expectation all residents in Saskatchewan over the age of 12 will have an opportunity to receive their first dose of vaccine by the end of May 2021. It will occur in three steps, with approximately three weeks between each step.

The ability to quickly and efficiently Reopen Saskatchewan will rely on three fundamental principles:

• Everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated should be immunized as soon as possible – with the first available vaccine.
• The province receives the supply of vaccines it is expecting in a timely manner.
• Be patient and follow the public health orders in place.

Find the details of the plan at Saskatchewan.ca/re-open-roadmap.

Don’t Let COVID-19 Hitch a Ride Home with You
While Saskatchewan continues to monitor COVID-19 trends throughout the province, public health reminds all residents to ensure any travel both within the province and inter-provincially is for essential purposes only.

If your inter-provincial travel is necessary, please be aware of the risk of transmission in those jurisdictions, the public health orders that are in effect there, and plan to be tested immediately upon returning home.

Weekly Reporting of Testing Numbers and Cases for Youth
The trends of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children are being monitored. The weekly report of cases and testing numbers for children aged 0-19, including data by age and positivity rates, has been posted at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19-Safe-Schools-Plan.

General COVID-19 Information
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.

Know your risk. Keep yourself and others safe: www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/about-covid-19/know-your-risk.