By Karen Cay

STICK IT TO COVID: Expanding Booster Dose Eligibility

Oct 20, 2021 | 9:43 AM

Starting October 25, the COVID-19 vaccination booster program will be expanded. COVID-19 boosters will be administered at least six months after the second dose was received for the following groups:

• Individuals aged 65 years and older.
• Individuals living in the Far North and those living on First Nation communities, aged 50 years and older.
• Health care workers, who will be asked to present a copy of their license from their professional licensing body or a workplace pay stub at the point of immunization. Saskatchewan Health Authority staff will be required to present their staff identification.
• Individuals born in 2009 or earlier with underlying health conditions that are clinically extremely vulnerable including:
  • People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections, such as homozygous sickle cell disease
  • People who had their spleen removed
  • Adults with very significant developmental disabilities that increase risk, such as Down’s Syndrome
  • Adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5)
  • Significant neuromuscular conditions requiring respiratory support

Those with the above underlying medical conditions, the Ministry of Health will be providing a letter to your physician or nurse practitioner for presentation at the point of immunization.

Immunization record will be confirmed at the clinic or pharmacy location to ensure that it has been at least six months since your last COVID-19 vaccination.

It is recommended that if you received two doses of a mRNA vaccine, your booster dose should be the same vaccine type. If you received two different vaccine types, your third dose should be the matching mRNA vaccine — a full dose of the type of vaccine an individual received for their second dose will be given as a booster dose. If you received two doses of Astra Zeneca, it is recommended that you receive an mRNA vaccine booster immunization.

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If you have already received a third dose for travel or in a long-term care or personal-care home setting, you do not require a fourth dose. The third dose already received provides the necessary increased protection; you do not need any further doses at this time.

The eligible populations announced today will be able to start booking their third doses online through the SHA Online Booking System, receiving the vaccine at clinics or through a pharmacy as of October 25. These eligible groups will not be added to the online registration system, or be able to book an appointment at a clinic or pharmacy until that date.

Additional populations eligible for booster vaccinations will be announced in the coming weeks, once the populations announced today have received their third doses.

A list of those populations already eligible to receive third doses in Saskatchewan including residents 80 and older, is available at Saskatchewan.ca/covid-19.

Out of Province Patient Transfers

To date, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has transferred one intensive care patient to Ontario with two more in the process of transfer today. These transfers are the result of the prolonged period of high demand on Saskatchewan’s ICUs which has an impact on the quality and availability of critical care. The number of transfers being scheduled for tomorrow is still being finalized.

The number of Saskatchewan patients out of province will be reported daily in the highlights report on the provincial COVID-19 dashboard on the Active Cases page.

Selection of patients for transport involves a number of factors. A clinical team performs a daily assessment of all patients and will carefully match each patient to an appropriate available bed. The team will also consider the local and overall system capacity at the time the assessments are being made. Patients selected for transfer will be those that are medically stable and appropriate for transfer. A highly skilled care team will accompany them throughout the duration of the transfer.