We wanted to reach out about vaccinations. This week (April 12, 2021) the Saskatchewan Party government announced that they were “allocating unused Phase 1 doses” of vaccine to remaining health care workers and all physicians in the province. Their announcement went on to say that eligible health care workers would receive a letter of eligibility directing them to book a vaccination appointment by phone. The announcement listed some specific classifications of workers and can be found here. We are pleased that the Saskatchewan government has finally decided to prioritize health care workers in vaccination delivery.
The next day the changes were referred to in the “SHA Rounds”. Very little additional information on vaccination sequencing was provided, except to ask for patience while managers work through the process of getting the eligibility letters to employees. We understand that this process is underway, and eligible workers should be receiving letters very soon.
CUPE continues to call on the government to remove barriers to vaccination access for health care workers. This includes calling on the government to:
- Allow immediate access to the vaccine for all health care workers who have interactions with clients, residents, or patients.
- Remove administrative delays. Do we have to wait for a letter? Could we use SHA or affiliate name tags as eligibility tools?
- Provide vaccinations at workplaces.
- Improve access at rural clinics. The wait times are too long when calling for an appointment, and the first available appointment may be some distance away, not in the nearest community.
- Pay for time off for both doses.
- Let health care workers access the vaccine at walk-in and drive through clinics rather than having to make an appointment.
- Let health care workers have the ability to book online rather than just the call-in option.
If you have a question or concern about the changes, please let us know. If you want to share your vaccine experience, positive or negative, with us, please reach out.
For additional information on vaccines:
CUPE National has prepared some great information that you can find here.
The SHA has some information for health care providers that can be found here.
CUPE is hosting a webinar that features a conversation with Dr. Andie Chenier who will translate scientific information into plain language and will guide us through the work of our immune system, how the body responds to clear infections, how a vaccine supports the body’s natural abilities to heal, and the kinds of vaccines that are on the market right now. Everyone is welcome. Click here for more information.
We are always interested in hearing from you on this or any other issue that you are facing. Please contact us.
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- Main office: 306-546-2185