Saskatchewan was administering vaccinations at a rate never before seen in the pandemic this past weekend.
A total of 37,563 people in the province were vaccinated on Friday and Saturday, according to the daily COVID updates from the Ministry of Health. A total of 18,568 individuals were vaccinated on Friday, with another 18,995 vaccinated on Saturday.
The total Sunday was a daily record.
The drive-through locations in both Saskatoon and Regina also closed early Sunday, due to a lack of supply. Those figures have not been released as of yet; Sunday’s vaccination numbers will be posted Monday afternoon in the daily update.
Drive-through sites are available in Saskatchewan on Monday, but not in either of the two major cities. Those clinics are located in Lloydminster, Moose Jaw and North Battleford.
Two walk-in sites are available, in Regina at the Glencairn Neighbourhood Centre and in Leader, at the Leader Friendship Centre.
Second doses are also being offered beginning Monday, opening things up to those 85 or older or those who received their first dose before Feb. 15.
You can’t yet book your second doses online, but they are available at participating pharmacies, the drive-through and walk-in clinics, and all clinics operated by Indigenous Services Canada — such as the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s SaskTel Centre clinic — or by the Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority.
People can get their first dose of the vaccine if they are 20 or older. On Tuesday, it falls to those 16 and older. On Thursday, eligibility is available for those 12 and up.
In total this weekend, Saskatchewan gained 363 new COVID cases (196 Saturday, 167 Sunday) and two new deaths — bringing the total to 517 overall — and hospitalizations dropped by 12 from 149 on Friday to 137 on Sunday. In addition, ICU patients fell from 34 to 24 from Friday to Sunday.
Editor’s note: a previous version of this story stated that eligibility falls to 18 and older on Tuesday, and 16 and up Thursday. 650 CKOM has changed this to reflect the actual eligibility, which is 16 and older on Tuesday and 12 and up on Thursday.