Sask. health authority urges people to get COVID-19 vaccine with thousands of appointments available
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is encouraging the public to “#FinishTheFight” as COVID-19 restrictions ease - and the number of people receiving vaccines is dropping.
On Wednesday, 6,358 doses were reported as administered, a 53 per cent drop from the same day the previous week. On Tuesday 2,419 vaccines were reported as administered.
“Summer is a great time for coming together with friends and family, and it’s even better when you know that everyone is safe from COVID-19,” the SHA said in a release.
“The SHA encourages all residents to be immunized with both doses as soon as you are eligible, making sure you’ve done your part to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.”
According to the SHA, 57,000 booked appointments are available for first and second doses at clinics in the province.
Dalyn Bear, project manager for the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) vaccination centre, said things aren’t as busy as they have been, with almost no wait time for most walk-in appointments, but he said it’s a good sign.
“It’s definitely dwindling down, but that’s a good thing, and that’s what we wanted to see. We wanted to make sure we got to the point where numbers are decreasing.”
Bear said they are pushing for 600 doses administered per day, and with just over two weeks left until the clinic is done, he is hoping more people take advantage of the low wait times.
“Our doors are wide open, we will be here Monday to Friday 9:30 until doses are done. We’re here to get it done, it definitely helps travel, and we’re here to make sure summer is a good place to be. We’re back to normalcy, so lets get it done,” Bear said.
Bear said the work being done by all parties involved with the clinic has been crucial to the success they’ve seen with the number of vaccines they have administered.
“It’s about the Indigenous community coming together and delivering to being part of society, the community. So far we’ve administered close 30,000 vaccines,” Bear said.
“We definitely want to work hand in hand, partnered with Saskatoon and surrounding communities. It’s very important and vital for us to do that, and we’re very proud.”
With restrictions lifted in the province, Bear said now is the time to keep up the fight against COVID-19 in order to enjoy the summer to its full potential.
PARAMEDIC HOPES MORE PEOPLE GET VACCINE
Dennis Opekokew was at Sasktel Centre for his daughter’s second dose. He has been fully vaccinated since March as he is a primary care paramedic.
He is hoping those around him take the initiative to get the shot so he can feel safer while enjoying the rest of his summer.
“Myself, I’m vulnerable. I do work in the front line, but I’m also diabetic and have high blood pressure. I am considered one of the vulnerable, and in order to be safe around friends and family I would prefer for them be vaccinated, otherwise the mask comes up still,” Opekokew said.
Opekokew’s daughter, Aurora Ben, said she feels more confident being fully vaccinated, but she is still going to take precautions to keep her father safe at work.
“The mask is going to stay, cause he is a paramedic, and I’d rather not get him and danger,” Ben said.
Ben was in and out of the clinic with almost no wait time, a bonus to Opekokew as he was worried how long the process could take.
“It frees up the rest of the time. We didn’t know if we’d be here an hour or two, or even longer. Being here for 20 minutes is preferable.”
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.