Released on April 7, 2022
Novavax Available Starting April 11
As part of provincial efforts to further increase vaccination rates, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has secured a supply of 4,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine Novavax and will have it available to residents starting Monday, April 11.
Details include:
- Available to residents 18 years and older
- Two dose vaccine series with a minimum of 21 days between doses
- Appointments must be booked through 1-833-SASKVAX (727-5829)
Safety information on Novavax and all vaccines currently administered in Saskatchewan is available at Saskatchewan.ca/covid-19.
Residents may choose this protein-based vaccine rather than the mRNA (Pfizer, Moderna) or viral vector (Janssen) vaccines, or receive it if they have contraindications to mRNA vaccines. Novavax is available for third or fourth doses, when an individual is eligible to receive them.
Novavax will be available via appointment booked with the SHA through 1-833-SASKVAX starting Monday, April 11. It will not be available through pharmacies. Due to the limited supply, SHA administration will reduce wastage associated with broad distribution.
For all other vaccines currently available in the province, you can book your appointment to receive your first, second or booster dose at an SHA clinic or pharmacy. Your third dose matters, protecting you against the most severe outcomes of COVID-19.
Discontinuing Monoclonal Antibody Treatment
Sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody given by intravenous infusion, has been used for the treatment of mild COVID-19 in Saskatchewan to prevent serious outcomes, including hospitalizations. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated reduced efficacy against Omicron's BA.2 subvariant. Based on this evidence and the growing prevalence of Omicron BA.2 in Saskatchewan, sotrovimab use will be discontinued in Saskatchewan after April 7, 2022. Future recommendations regarding the use of sotrovimab and early therapeutics will continue to be guided by emerging evidence.
The oral (pill) antiviral Paxlovid will continue to be available to eligible patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Paxlovid is an antiviral medication that helps prevent COVID-19 from spreading in your body and prevent serious COVID-19 outcomes including hospitalization.
- Treatment with Paxlovid must start within five days of symptom onset. The medication consists of tablets taken every 12 hours for five days.
- Information on Paxlovid eligibility is available at Saskatchewan.ca/covid-19.
Treatment is no substitution for vaccination. Getting your first, second and all recommended booster doses remains the most important intervention to reduce risk of hospitalization and other severe outcomes from COVID-19.
Weekly COVID-19 Epi Report
Issued Thursdays, the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 integrated epidemiology (epi) report utilizes multiple data sources and includes laboratory-confirmed cases, deaths, tests, vaccination information provincially and by zones, as well as hospital and ICU census trends and distribution of rapid antigen tests. The epi report this week looks at data from Sunday, March 27 to Saturday, April 2, 2022. The hospitalization data is a comparison from March 30 to April 6, 2022.
The integrated epi report can be found online at saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19-cases.
Summary for the week of March 27-April 2, 2022
- 7,689 laboratory tests were performed in Saskatchewan reflecting 6.4 tests performed per 1,000 population. The number of tests was higher than the number of tests in the previous week (7,449).
- More than one in eight laboratory tests were positive (weekly test positivity of 13.2 per cent), which is higher than the previous week (12.3 per cent).
- 1,032 new cases were confirmed reflecting about 0.9 laboratory-confirmed cases per 1,000 population.
- The number of new laboratory-confirmed cases was about 13.7 per cent lower than the number of new cases in the previous week (1,196).
- There were 440 new lineage results reported this week. Of the 440 variants of concern identified by whole genome sequencing, all were Omicron.
- The Omicron BA.2 sublineage accounted for 21.4 per cent of the variants of concern reported this week, an increase from 15.5 per cent in the previous week.
- There were 24 newly-reported COVID-19 deaths, about 20 per cent higher than in the previous week (20).
- There were 38.6 COVID-like illness patients per 1,000 emergency department visits which is higher than the average weekly rate in the previous six weeks (32.8 per week/1,000 visits).
- 20 confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care and care home settings were reported this week.
- As of April 2, of the population five years and older, 85.7 per cent received at least one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine and 80.7 per cent completed a series.
- Among the population 18 years and older, 51.4 per cent had received at least one booster vaccination.
- As of the week of April 4, there have been 166 Paxlovid prescriptions provided and 344 monoclonal antibody infusion treatments administered.
- More than 19 million rapid antigen test kits have been distributed in the province. They are easily accessible at more than 600 locations.
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For more information, contact:
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca