Vaccines are allowing us to win the fight against COVID-19, as Premier Scott Moe hoped and predicted they would.
This is very good news.
While critics of the Saskatchewan Party government point to massive success of the Atlantic provinces, it’s worth noting that Manitoba — with much stricter lockdown measures — spent 46 days this winter with an average daily case counts higher than Saskatchewan’s daily average ever was. It’s also noteworthy that Manitoba has had twice the COVID-19 deaths.
And it’s impossible not to attribute this success — especially among the more vulnerable older populations — to vaccines.
Again, as of the writing of this column, 91 per cent of those 80 years and older have received a first dose while 76 per cent have received a second dose. In the 70-80 years old category, 90 per cent have received a first dose and 54 per cent per cent have received a second dose. In the 60-70 years category, 84 per cent have received a first dose and 19 per cent have received a second dose.
The tangible result is fewer people dying — only 10 deaths in the first week of June and just 48 deaths in May. That compares with 55 deaths in April, 51 in March, 81 in February, 155 in January and 106 in December.
Compare this with an average winter flu season where — after many also line up for vaccines — we usually have about 10 to 15 deaths and handful of hospitalizations.
This winter, Regina and Saskatoon hospitals had to re-direct patients elsewhere because they were overrun with COVID-19 cases. Now, we are seeing both active case counts and hospitalizations reduced to levels we haven’t seen since the start of winter.
Given this success, it’s rather puzzling why the lines for vaccines aren’t longer.
While older age brackets have taken up the challenge to get their vaccines, younger generations have been more hesitant or maybe simply more complacent.
In fact, we have had nine straight days now where second doses have out-paced first doses. On the day of the Sask. Party government’s press conference this week, 5,564 of the 6,742 doses announced were second shots.
Also as of the writing of this column, about 40,000 of 147,466 Saskatchewan people 50-59 had not received a shot. Another 50,000 of the 151,896 40-49-year-olds were unvaccinated. More than 80,000 of the 184,246 30-39-year-olds and slightly less than 100,000 of 18 to 29-years were unvaccinated.
Some of this can be attributed to such age groups becoming eligible more recently, but the carefree, invulnerability of youth is clearly a factor.
While COVID-19 cases are dropping, it’s those that are unvaccinated who are now getting sick.
May numbers also reveal 5,296 COVID-19 cases — 92 per cent of which were unvaccinated or those who gotten their first dose within the previous three weeks.
"We have an opportunity to basically end the pandemic, the worst aspects of the pandemic, as early as July,” said Saskatchewan chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab. “Why wouldn't we take it?"
It is a very good question.
