Vaccine eligibility is set to change rapidly in the coming weeks, as public health prepares to conclude the first dose portion of the COVID-19 vaccination plan and move into providing second doses later this month.
Beginning on May 8, the eligible age range for receiving a vaccine at any of the province’s clinics is set to decrease every two days until it reaches residents aged 12 and older on May 20.
Approximately 270,000 people remain to be vaccinated in the province, said Health Minister Paul Merriman, in a press release.
Residents aged 32 and older will be eligible for vaccination beginning Saturday, before eligibility expands to include ages 29 and older on May 10.
On May 12, it will expand again to include ages 26 and older, ages 23 and older beginning May 14, and ages 20 and older on May 16.
Youth have also recently been added to the plan, with those aged 12 to 17 years old approved to receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Eligibility criteria will expand to include those aged 16 and older on May 18, and then further to ages 12 and older on May 20, and only at clinic locations that are offering the Pfizer vaccine.
Delivery of vaccines to youth under 18 may take place through a school-based program, in pharmacies or at a Saskatchewan Health Authority clinic. Details are to be announced prior to May 20.
Eligibility in the northern region of the province has included individuals aged 18 and older since May 4.
Currently, the eligibility age range applies to all vaccination methods operating in the province, including booked appointments at mass immunization clinics, walk-in and drive-through clinics, pharmacy appointments, and mobile clinics.
The proposed eligibility schedule will be dependant on vaccine delivery and supply, said a press release.
“Our ability to reach our targets is limited only by the amount of vaccine we receive but remember that once you are eligible to receive a vaccine, you are always eligible,” said Merriman. “You will have clinic options available and should continue to take the first vaccine that is available to you."
Provincial officials previously announced that the first dose portion of the vaccine plan is intended to conclude by the end of May, with the delivery of second doses to commence beginning May 17.
All Saskatchewan residents over the age of 18 are expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of July, according to officials.
The extra details of the vaccination plan coincide with the province’s announcement prior to this week that the re-opening plan will be reliant on vaccination rates in the province.
Premier Moe shared that the Re-Opening Roadmap will be a three-step process, beginning when at least 70 per cent of residents over the age of 40 have received their first dose — a milestone public health anticipates will be reached next week.
For more information on the vaccination plan, visit saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
