The province had promised last week that the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine would arrive and be administered in the province on December 15. Today, the first doses of the vaccine will be provided to healthcare workers in the Regina area. 

As part of the pilot phase of the vaccine rollout, the province plans to administer 1950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to frontline healthcare workers at Regina General Hospital at 6:00 this evening. This is the first step in what will be officially a two-phase rollout. 

“Today is an incredibly exciting day in our fight against COVID-19, as nearly 2,000 people who have been on the front-lines delivering care since the beginning of the pandemic start being immunized with their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Premier Scott Moe said. “As the first health care workers in Saskatchewan receive the vaccine, I encourage all Saskatchewan residents to get vaccinated, when the vaccine is made available to them.”

When the vaccine is made available, of course, is still some time away. Phase one, which comes after the pilot project, will see the vaccine provided to priority populations, meaning those who are more likely to be exposed to the virus or those who are more likely to suffer a serious outcome from it, or both. This will include more healthcare workers and senior citizens. 

The first recipients of the vaccine through the pilot are health care workers in ICUs, Emergency Departments, and Covid Units at Regina General and Pasqua Hospitals, and staff at testing and assessment centres. These healthcare workers will receive their vaccinations over several days, then get a second dose 21 days later. 

“I have seen the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the patients I have cared for in the intensive care unit, as well as its effects on their families,” Critical Care Physician Dr. Jeffrey Betcher said. “Accepting the vaccine is part of my responsibility as a physician. It will protect me, my patients, my colleagues, friends and family.” 

The second phase of the vaccine rollout plan is due to begin in April of 2021, though Health Minister Paul Merriman said at a press conference last week that this could occur earlier if enough of the vaccine is available. 

There were 194 new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan today.