Surplus doses used to vaccinate Saskatoon police against COVID-19

Seventeen frontline police officers are partially vaccinated against COVID-19 with just 298 more to go, according to a tweet from Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper.

We have had 17 front line officers vaccinated with end of day surplus doses thanks to STC and Lighthouse clinics. Only 298 more doses would vaccinate the rest of our front line. If the plan changes it won’t take long to get that done. pic.twitter.com/dRngJOZnm6

— Chief Troy Cooper (@Cooper_Chief) April 9, 2021

The vaccinations for the officers came from extra doses The Lighthouse and Saskatoon Tribal Council had left over at the end of their recent clinics.

Cooper, who’s been advocating for the last several months for police officers to receive their COVID-19 shots, said he reached out to the organizations to see if they could help.

“There’s been two clinics operated in Saskatoon where we were able to — at the end of the day where there were surplus doses left over — we were able to access some of that. In one case, we received seven doses and (in) another, 10 doses,” he explained.

He said he’s grateful for the help.

“Although it’s only 17 staff, that’s 17 staff that we have to worry a little bit less about,” he added.

Cooper said the Saskatoon Police Service often works together with The Lighthouse and some staff were there helping with a clinic recently. At the end of the day, they learned a few doses were left.

“Because we are mobile and we have officers available 24 hours a day, we were able to offer some of our staff and asked (if) some of our staff (would) be able to receive some of the doses,” Cooper said.

A week later, STC had another clinic where more doses became available and staff reached out to police to see if they could quickly come to the clinic location. Cooper emphasized that every other option was exhausted before his officers were offered the shots.

If and when more vaccines become available in the coming days, Cooper enthusiastically said he’ll take them.

“We still have so many people who haven’t received the vaccine at all,” he said.

“I mean, we have a very young demographic that work for policing and so they will be the last people who are actually eligible based on age criteria.”

The first group of officers were those who work directly with the most vulnerable populations in the city, while the second group of 10 were police who were formerly paramedics who performed rapid COVID-19 testing in their building.

According to Premier Scott Moe, the age-based vaccination criteria will be changing quickly in the next several weeks, with those 50 and older expected to get their first vaccinations by April 15, those in the 40-and-over age group getting shots by April 26, those who are 30 and older being inoculated by May 10, and anyone over the age of 18 be able to get one by May 17.

Still, Cooper said he’ll continue to work with the province and he’s hopeful that as Phase 2 decisions are made, police officers will be prioritized along with other essential workers.

“In the meantime, this is the only option available to us,” he said.