Sask. residents 85 and over can book COVID vaccinations starting Thursday

Saskatchewan’s booking system for COVID-19 vaccination appointments is ready for launch.

Starting Thursday at 8 a.m., people in the province aged 85 and over will be able to book COVID vaccine appointments online or over the phone.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority’s online booking system can be found here. It’s accessible by computer, tablet or mobile device.

The online system, which is available 24 hours a day seven days a week, will show which age group is eligible for appointments at that time.

Those who don’t have the technology to use the online system can make an appointment by calling 1-833-SASK-VAX (1-833-727-5829). The Vaccine Call Centre is to operate from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

The phone line is capable of making 6,000 bookings per day.

Health Minister Paul Merriman stressed Wednesday that only those 85 or over — or friends or families members who are assisting those individuals — should try to book an appointment Thursday.

“If you are not 85 or older or helping someone that is 85 or older, please do not try to book your appointment right away,” he said during a conference call. “We will be opening the booking system to more people in the days ahead by descending age order.

“So please be patient. We’re going to go as fast as the vaccine supply allows us to and you will be able to book your appointment very soon.”

Many people in the 85-and-over age group in Saskatchewan already have been vaccinated, so opening the booking system to people in that age group who haven’t already got their shots will allow the SHA to see how the system is operating.

“We’re not limited on an hourly basis per capacity,” said SHA CEO Scott Livingstone. “We have real-time monitoring of the system so that if it needs to be increased, it can be increased in real time.

“We believe we have addressed any risks associated with major failures throughout the continuum. But again, there could be some small glitches and it’s why we’re trying to reinforce that only those eligible book as we get through the system and get to learn how it’s performing.”

All of the appointments that are available will be shown online. Bookings at this point will only be for first doses.

Derek Miller, the SHA’s executive director of infrastructure management, said people who book in the early stages will see a smaller number of clinic locations than will be used during Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout.

As the supply of vaccines increase, Miller said, the number of clinic options will increase.

Those seeking to make an appointment will need a valid health card and a cellphone number or email address where notifications can be sent.

Once the online booking system is up and running, the SHA will stop its current strategy of phoning people who are eligible to get their shots.

“The phone calls will stop later on (Wednesday) of going out and now we’ll be prepared to receive phone calls as well as the online booking side of things,” said Merriman, who noted 190,000 people were called in Phase 1.

The system will verify a person’s eligibility as they book an appointment. Identification will be required when a person arrives for their appointment to make sure the person who registered online is the person seeking to be vaccinated.

After all of those in the 85-and-over group who want a shot are vaccinated, the SHA will put out public service announcements to inform members of the next age group when they’re eligible to book appointments.

However, the health minister preached patience.

“The pace of the vaccine deliveries to Saskatchewan will be picking up significantly in the coming weeks, but we still expect demand to exceed supply,” Merriman said.

“Appointments will fill up very quickly and we may run out of available appointments in some times in some locations. If that happens, again, we would ask for your patience. More appointments will be opened as soon as more vaccines are available.”

Premier Scott Moe said Tuesday that Saskatchewan is to receive as much vaccine in the next three weeks as it has received over the past three months.

That means Phase 1 of the province’s rollout plan — in which residents and staff of long-term and personal care homes as well as priority health-care workers were vaccinated — likely will be completed by the end of March, so immunization of the general public can begin in April.

“With that volume of vaccine increasing significantly, we will start opening to new age groups fairly quickly in upcoming days,” Livingstone said. “With a little patience, this will ensure our entire population is protected faster — and that gives us more hope to returning to what our new normal will be.”