Saskatchewan's overall vaccine uptake is hitting reopening benchmarks, but uptake in the far north regions remains far behind.
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As vaccine thresholds are met and Saskatchewan marches ahead in its reopening plan, the province’s far north regions lag behind in their vaccination rates, leaving some concerned about what reopening could mean for the area.
“We’re still telling people up here that, until we get our vaccinations higher, we have to continue to be really careful,” said Allan Adam, CEO of the Athabasca Health Authority, which provides health care to a number of the province’s northernmost communities.
“Because our numbers are low in terms of vaccinations and that, there’s always the risk that there could be an outbreak and that’s what we have to be careful for.”
Each step of Saskatchewan’s three-part reopening plan is tied solely to vaccination rates: Step 1 took effect on Sunday after 70 per cent of people ages 40 and up had their first shot;Step 2 is slated to start on June 20 now that the same threshold has been reached with people 30 and up. Earlier this week, the premier said all remaining restrictions, including mandatory masking, could lift as early as July 11 if enough residents aged 12 and up get a first vaccination.
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But while the province’s overall vaccine uptake is hitting those benchmarks, the northern regions remain far behind.
The Ministry of Health said it did not have a breakdown of vaccine doses by age group in each zone, making it impossible to directly compare each region’s vaccination rate to the province’s age-based vaccine targets.
However, the data on the provincial government’s website of the total population for each zone and the number of vaccines administered to residents there allows for comparison between regions.
Regina leads the way in vaccine uptake, with 58 per cent of its total population having a first dose as of Thursday. Saskatoon is second at 55 per cent, and the other regions ranged anywhere from 47 per cent to 54 per cent.
The three stark exceptions are the far north regions. Just 25 per cent of the far north central zone’s total population has its first dose. The far north west sits at 33 per cent and the far north east at 34 per cent.
Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, told reporters during a Tuesday news conference it is still possible through the summer and fall to see COVID-19 outbreaks in communities with low vaccination rates. If that happens, an outbreak response would still be required, including the sick having to self-isolate and vigorous contact tracing.
“Why do we want to keep that risk, that weakness, in our province open when we have easy access to safe and effective vaccines?” Shahab said.
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Adam said vaccine hesitancy held many northern residents back from getting their first shot initially, but recently he has seen the north’s vaccination rate slowly, but steadily, climb.
“Some of the communities … have done almost 100 per cent now, like Stony Rapids is really high and then Uranium City, of course with a small population, is really inching up there too,” he said.
He is hopeful the northern regions will soon catch up to the vaccination rate in the rest of Saskatchewan, but in the meantime, he is worried about how the province’s reopening will impact these areas.
Chief Bart Tsannie of Hatchet Lake First Nation, which is located in the far north east zone, said about half of his community’s approximately 1,200 people have had their first shot.
Some people are hesitant though. Knowing the region around his First Nation has a lower vaccine uptake, he is nervous about what a reopened province could bring.
“I am concerned with it. We don’t want any cases, but if it starts going up again we might have to do something in order to ensure precaution,” he said, adding the First Nation could bring in its own lockdown if cases rose and community leaders agreed action was needed.
For now, he continues to encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“We want to get back to normal,” he said.
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Vaccinations in far north lag behind rest of province as Sask. reopens - Regina Leader-Post
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