SASKATOON -- The association representing physicians in Saskatchewan is urging the province to focus more on health care workers in its vaccine plan.

While some health care workers (HCWs) in settings where there is a high risk of contracting COVID-19 have been given priority since vaccine delivery began in Saskatchewan, the province announced earlier this week that as the rollout expands, access to vaccines will be age-based — instead of targeting priority groups.

"As a family physician and as president of the SMA, I worry about the many physicians across the province who are seeing patients daily and who are not protected," said Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) President Dr. Barb Konstantynowicz.

“I am concerned about patients who may be reluctant to see their doctors out of fear of contracting COVID-19. A more planned, systematic approach to vaccinations among HCWs will provide patients with the reassurance that engaging with the health-care system is becoming safer and will lead to a quicker resumption of everyday health services," Konstantynowicz said.

On Tuesday the Government of Saskatchewan outlined its plan for "Phase 2" of its vaccine distribution program, which will focus on the general population in 10-year increments, starting with people in their 60s and working down.

Many of those in essential professions, including police, have been lobbying the government to be given priority in the vaccine rollout.

"I've heard from all groups they're lobbying to be prioritized within the sequence and they're all valid points, and I want to emphasize that. In saying that, what we're looking at right now is getting a large quantity of vaccines (delivered) in a short amount of time," Health Minister Paul Merriman said during a news conference in Regina on Tuesday.

"It's the people that are over 60 that are unfortunately or have the most impact from COVID and the most fatalities that we've seen in Saskatchewan and across the country and around the world. That's where we need to focus," Merriman said.

“When we look to many other provinces and from what we are learning globally, vaccine rollout explicitly includes health-care workers in early phases of rollout,” Konstantynowicz said.

“Vaccination planning isn’t just about vaccinating those at highest risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, but of protecting health system capacity by vaccinating health-care workers as soon as possible so that they aren’t taken out of the workforce by even a mild COVID-19 infection.

“Patients can’t get the care they need if health-care workers are quarantining. Our health system is strained as it is," she said.

On Thursday, Premier Scott Moe said the Ministry of Health "is having a look" at whether additional segments of health care workers should be "pulled forward" into Phase 1 of the province's distribution plan and be granted quicker access to vaccines.

"As we go through this, we're going to continue to change and adapt to ensure that we are doing the best by the people that we ultimately serve here in the province," Moe said during a news conference in Regina.