Here is a summary of the COVID-19 news shared over the past week, collected by Moose Jaw Today.com staff:
As of June 17, any resident aged 45 or older or who received their first dose vaccine on or before May 1 is now eligible to receive their second vaccine dose.
Cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and individuals with high clinical priority are also included in the current eligibility group and will receive a letter from the health authority.
Second doses are available at any of the SHA’s vaccine clinics, including booked appointments, walk-in and drive-through sites, and at participating pharmacies.
The province is pushing to administer more first dose vaccines to meet reopening targets, as projected models anticipate Saskatchewan will not have reached 70 per cent vaccinated in individuals over the age of 12 by June 20.
Extra appointments were added to the SHA’s booking system, and several clinics across the province shifted to first-dose only.
Other clinics implemented a fast track lane for individuals seeking their first dose, while still administering second doses like normal.
The COVID-19 field hospitals in Saskatoon and Regina are set to be decommissioned beginning in August, as the SHA announced it feels the immunization program has reached a point where increased emergency patient capacity is no longer needed.
Equipment purchased for the field hospitals, such as hospital beds, will be distributed to medical facilities around the province based on the greatest need.
The self-isolation requirements for individuals who have been fully vaccinated changed this week, as directed by public health.
Individuals who have received both doses of the vaccine at least 14 days before potential exposure to COVID-19 and who are asymptomatic no longer have to self-isolate as a close contact.
Individuals with symptoms will still be required to self-isolate, and anyone who is unvaccinated or has not yet received a full vaccine schedule must still self-isolate if exposed.
Sacred Heart Community School declared outbreaks of COVID-19 in two separate classrooms on June 13, adding the school to the list of active outbreaks recognized by public health.
The Grade 5 and Grade 6 classrooms at Sacred Heart each have an outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases linked by transmission.
These cases join three other schools in Moose Jaw that reported positive cases last week, including Lindale Elementary School, St. Agnes School and William Grayson Elementary School.
There are also six other outbreaks listed as active by public health, for a total of eight outbreaks in Moose Jaw.
Phase Two of the province’s reopening plan began on June 20, lifting restrictions further for residents.
Capacity thresholds at retail businesses and personal care services have been lifted entirely, with customers now only required to physically distance from each other.
Table capacity at restaurants is also now lifted, with tables only required to be at least two metres apart.
Public indoor and outdoor gatherings may now have 150 people, as well as private outdoor gatherings. Private indoor gatherings are limited to 15 people.
Indoor sports are now allowed, and residents at care homes may now have four visitors indoors and nine visitors outdoors at a time.
