Nothing has been made official, but there is thought the province could deliver Pfizer as the second vaccine dose for the 65,000 or so Saskatchewan people who received AstraZeneca as their first dose.
It comes down to supply with Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone saying AstraZeneca is no longer being offered as the first dose for those getting shots because they want to try and keep as much AstraZeneca as possible and avoid supply problems.
“It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t give it if we had enough doses to do so, but we are holding on to those doses now is exclusively using Pfizer and Moderna until we get assurances of AstraZeneca shipments.” Livingstone said.
He added there is nothing wrong with AstraZeneca as it has proven to save lives not only in Saskatchewan but across the country and that his family of five all received AstraZeneca with their first dose and that Alberta and Ontario are doing the same thing with other provinces expected to in the near future.
Provincial chief medical health officer Dr. Saqih Shahab says trial data from the United Kingdom has shown a second shot from Pfizer has been effective for those who have had AstraZeneca with their first dose. He adds Moderna could also be used if need be as the second shot because “it is based on the same platform” as Pfizer.
(CKRM)
