3rd COVID-19 vaccine doses for international travel would be offered in Sask. only if top doc signs off: health minister
A day after Quebec announced it would allow additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for travellers heading to countries where Astra-Zeneca or mixed doses are not recognized, health minister Paul Merriman said the option would be offered in Saskatchewan only if the province's top doctor recommends it.
Merriman was asked about the potential for a" third dose" during a news conference in Saskatoon on Tuesday.
The health minister was quick to emphasize the extra doses Quebec is offering have nothing to do with vaccine efficacy and only are about ease of movement for those travelling internationally.
"It's not about how effective the vaccines are, whether you got AstraZeneca, Moderna , or Pfizer or any combination of those … your level of protection is still the same. This is only specific to people that are travelling to countries that may have requirements that you have a double dose of the same vaccine," Merriman said.
Merriman indicated that any decision made by the province regarding additional doses would be based on the recommendation of Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.
With there is little data when it comes potential side effects that may come with an additional dose, the Government of Quebec said it would it extend the option to international travellers at their own risk.
The Saskatchewan government also said Wednesday it will not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for large events or any other purpose.
Seventy-four per cent of those over 12 have received their first dose and 62 per cent are fully vaccinated, the province says.
In a statement, it encouraged eligible residents to get vaccinated. It says the Ministry of Health continues to encourage vaccination through various social and traditional media campaigns.
“We have offered several ways to get vaccinated, including booked appointments, drive-thru and walk-in clinics, targeted community clinics and pop up clinics across the province.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.