Here is a summary of the COVID-19 news shared over the past week, collected by Moose Jaw Today.com staff:
Saskatchewan is set to begin Phase One of its new re-opening plan on May 30, after already reaching the first vaccination threshold.
As of May 10, more than 70 per cent of residents over the age of 40 have received their first dose of the vaccine, and public health is on track to make vaccination available to all Saskatchewan residents over the age of 18 by May 20.
This means that Phase Two of the plan will occur no earlier than the third week in June and the final step in mid-July.
The eligible age range to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Saskatchewan has lowered several times this week, now including residents age 20 and older as of May 16, or 18 and older in the northern district. Prioritized frontline workers over the age of 18 are also now eligible.
The new age limits apply to all booked appointments at mass immunization clinics in the province, as well as any walk-in or drive-through clinics, pharmacies and mobile clinics.
Second vaccine doses will begin on May 17, opening first to residents aged 85 and older or those who received their first dose before Feb. 15.
Positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in several Moose Jaw schools since last week, including one case in St. Agnes Elementary School on May 5 and one case at A.E. Peacock Collegiate on May 10.
Central Collegiate and Sunningdale Elementary School also reported positive cases, both on May 11. Central has four positive cases and was previously declared the site of an outbreak on May 2, and Sunningdale has reported one case.
All classrooms at Central Collegiate have now moved to online learning for at least a week, following an announcement made by the school's principal on May 14.
The first confirmed case of vaccine-related blood clotting has been reported in Saskatchewan, occurring in a female patient in the 60-60 age range who received the AstraZeneca vaccine in early April.
The patient has been treated for vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a serious blood-clotting condition that has been linked as an adverse reaction to the AstraZeneca vaccine, and is now in recovery.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said that a total of 18 cases of VITT have been reported across the country.
Saskatchewan public health officials said earlier this week that AstraZeneca will not be used in clinics as a first dose vaccine movign forward due to supply constraints. Plans to administer second vaccine doses to match the brand received as a first dose are still in place, as research into the safety of brand mixing is still ongoing.
