SHA UPDATE – March 18, 2021 COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS FOR HEALTH PARTNERS

This communication is intended to provide timely and important information to our municipal leaders, health system partners, health and hospital foundations, and other community based organizations. Please feel free to distribute among your stakeholders as appropriate.

|COVID-19| Immunization Campaign – 5 Minute Message

Congratulations to the Regina IHICC team for their amazing work to set up a drive-thru immunization site in record time. Regina was chosen for the AstraZeneca drive-thru clinic due to the rising number of cases of COVID-19 variants of concern in that city. Thousands of people have come through and are now better protected, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team. Learn more about their work in this week’s 5-minute message. Please see the Government of website for updated information on the vaccine rollout.

|COVID-19| COVID-19: So many vaccine options

The world waited with anticipation throughout 2020 until we had an approved vaccine for COVID-19. Now, almost a year later, we have many vaccines that have been approved by Health including Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Covishield, and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). There are similarities and differences between the vaccines, but the one thing we know is that all vaccines achieve the end goal of working toward community immunity or what is sometimes called herd immunity. What is herd immunity? Herd immunity is when a large portion of the population in an area is immune to a specific disease. If enough people are immune to the disease, then the virus or bacteria cannot flourish in that community. When a population reaches the point of collective or herd immunity, the disease is no longer likely to spread. This is where vaccines come into play. Vaccines have played a major role in limiting the severity of illness and controlling the spread of disease. As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), safe and effective vaccines save lives by making disease rarer. “When a large number of people are immunized, the virus will have difficulty finding a host if there are enough people who have developed immunity,” said Dr. Tania Diener, EOC COVID 19 Immunization Co-Chief, Saskatchewan Health Authority. “Even if a virus infects an immunized host, the chance of severe illness is greatly reduced as the body is ready to actively mount a defense against the virus.” Widespread immunity also serves to protect those who cannot be immunized such as newborns, making immunization important for you, your family and your community.

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Whether it’s Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Covishield or the pending availability of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), vaccines are safe, approved by Health Canada and they are the way forward to returning to life as we knew it before COVID-19. Don’t hesitate, vaccinate. Follow the Saskatchewan Health Authority on Twitter and Facebook for more stories and updates on COVID-19. For further information on the Vaccine Delivery Plan, please visit www.Saskatchewan.ca/ COVID19-vaccine

|COVID-19| COVID-19 Vaccine vs Flu Vaccine

There are both similarities and differences between the COVID-19 vaccine and the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine. The fundamental principles apply:

 Both protect yourself and others around you, and prevent you from becoming seriously ill.  They are safe.  You cannot get COVID-19 or influenza from the vaccines and severe reactions are rare.

Health Canada reviews all vaccines for safety and efficacy; no vaccine will be provided unless it meets established standards. The differences between the COVID-19 and flu vaccine are also notable:

 COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses.  COVID-19 is a coronavirus.  Flu is an influenza virus.

Precautions including masking, hand washing and physical distancing are beneficial to stopping the spread of either the COVID-19 or flu viruses. Each year, a new flu vaccine is created to target viruses expected to be more common that year. Manufacturers confirm with Health Canada that the vaccine contains the World Health Organization’s recommended strains for the northern hemisphere. To create a flu vaccine, the chosen influenza viruses are incubated and then rendered inactive before being incorporated into the vaccine, with the exception of a nasal spray that contains a live virus that has been weakened to prevent the development of disease. The body recognizes the inactivated/weakened-live virus as foreign and responds by developing immunity. The COVID-19 vaccine differs in that it is targeted specifically to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The vaccines introduce a spike protein that is found on the outside of the virus, so that your body can develop an immune response to that protein.

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The vaccines may work in different ways, but the single most important thing to remember is that vaccines prevent or reduce severe illness and death. Getting immunized makes all the difference for yourself, your loved ones and your community. Follow the Saskatchewan Health Authority on Twitter and Facebook for more stories and updates on COVID-19. For further information on the Vaccine Delivery Plan, please visit www.Saskatchewan.ca/ COVID19-vaccine

|COVID-19| A day for double-takes: Merlis Belsher gets vaccinated at Merlis Belsher Place

March 12 was a curious day for Merlis Belsher. He went to the facility on the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) campus which bears his name to get his COVID-19 vaccination. “I pinch myself when I see what’s happened here,” said Belsher. The facility, which is normally home to the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Huskies hockey, basketball and campus leagues as well as Midget AAA Contacts and Midget AAA Stars, has been converted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) into a mass immunization site where thousands of people will receive the potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccine. From June 2020 till March 2021, the site was home to the city’s field hospital, which stood at the ready but was never used. “Who would believe it would be used for this kind of event?” said Belsher, who was last at Merlis Belsher Place March 1, 2020 to watch the Huskies men’s hockey team defeat the UBC Thunderbirds to a sold-out crowd. On March 12, 2021, the site was buzzing with activity of a different sort. Dozens of health care workers were fulfilling their various functions to ensure seniors with pre-booked appointments get vaccinated against COVID-19. “All of the workers at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) deserve credit. They were working hard, they were organized and they were busy. They deserve tremendous thanks from all the people, and from me,” said Belsher. Belsher reported getting vaccinated was a painless process. “I’d seen someone on TV getting the needle last night. That needle appeared to be several inches long, my arm is thin. I thought, ‘The needle will go right through my arm and the vaccine will be on the floor’.” When the time came to get his shot, he turned his head and didn’t feel a thing. “I never knew she was finished.” Even four hours later, his arm didn’t hurt and he was back in his office attending to affairs. Belsher said he understood why the SHA wanted to use the facility.

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The U of S multi-purpose sports facility, which includes the Ron and Jane Graham Sports Science and Health Centre, was ideal for a field hospital and mass immunization. “I am very pleased that our university was able to fulfill a community need as required by the SHA. It’s a huge space; the gyms provide adequate waiting areas after receiving the vaccine; distancing is easy to accommodate; and the parking is good,” said Belsher, who donated $12.25 million towards the facility’s construction and was among those who influenced its design. Similar to university President Peter Stoicheff, he wanted the building to serve the community. In its current incarnation, as a site to help the province end the pandemic, it continues to fulfill this role. Belsher said while he’s not about to lecture anyone, he thinks it’s important that everyone get vaccinated as soon as it’s available to them. He also asks that, following vaccination, people continue to follow infection prevention and control protocols such as masking, distancing and hand washing which is needed to protect themselves and others. “We are not out of this yet. Until the variants are put to bed, the pandemic is of great concern.” Although it may be a while yet, Belsher says he’s looking forward to the day when he’s once again watching hockey at Merlis Belsher Place. “I’m hoping for it to happen. Mike Babcock will be coaching. It will be exciting. But the people are more important than sports. The people and dealing with the pandemic come first.”

|COVID-19| NEO-Natal Nursing Pioneer, COVID-19 Vaccine Recipient: Ellen Ross

Ellen Ross has spent her fair share of time working in a health care environment, having begun her training to become a registered nurse in 1945. Originally from Manitoba, Ellen and her husband Harvey soon found themselves on the move due to his employment with the railroad. This brought them to Saskatchewan where they put down roots in Wynyard for 10 years, before moving to Saskatoon. Last year, Ellen moved back to Wynyard and now resides in the Golden Acres long-term care home, which is part of the Wynyard Integrated Facility. Ellen is no stranger to epidemics, having worked during the polio outbreak in the 1950s. In Saskatoon, Ellen had the opportunity to join the fledging Neo Natal Unit which was opening at the time. “It was a wonderful experience, we were all learning together as a team,” she recalled. Being appreciative of medical advances, Ellen didn’t hesitate when it came time to receive her COVID-19 vaccine.

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“There are people who may have legitimate difficulty with vaccines, but I have never had an issue and the chances of getting COVID are likely higher than an adverse reaction to the vaccine,” she observed. Ellen’s family continues to exercise caution during these times, so with the vaccine now rolling out across Saskatchewan, she hopes to be able to see them in person again soon. Follow the Saskatchewan Health Authority on Twitter and Facebook for more stories and updates on COVID-19. For further information on the Vaccine Delivery Plan, please visit www.Saskatchewan.ca/ COVID19-vaccine.

|COVID-19| Faces of the Fight

Chantel Kozinski, LPN My name is Chantal Kozinski, I am a Licensed Practical Nurse. I work at the Turtleford Hospital, primarily in acute care and in the emergency department. As a nurse in a rural hospital, we have experienced COVID-19 in a very different way than some of the more urban centres. We are seeing COVID-19-positive patients prior to their official diagnosis or shortly after they have received their positive results, essentially at the beginning of their journey with this virus. Due to the fact our facility is very high traffic with multiple-discipline teams working in one place, we have to be quite strict with our screening protocols. This in itself can be stressful and time consuming. I and my co-workers take great pride in maintaining a safe environment for each other and all of the patients we see. I would just like to say a huge thank you to our manager for her strength and leadership navigating all of this year’s unknowns. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I personally have experienced a wide range of emotions. In the beginning, there was a lot of fear; it was new, not a lot was known about this virus. The fear I felt most in the beginning was for my nursing friends working in the cities and the COVID-19 centers. They were in the thick of it right away. I also feared for the mental health of my family. So many unknowns surrounding COVID, and after hearing the news reports, my youngest daughter (who was 8 at the time) said, “Mom, it’s just like you are going to war against COVID.” Once the initial fear wore off and the realization that the COVID-19 fight was going to be a long one, I found myself mentally relaxing. The masking and extra gowning at work became second nature. Policies and protocols changed daily; this became the most daunting thing. As a rural facility, we didn’t have our first positive case in our coverage area until about six months into the pandemic. With that, the fear hit again. The emotional rollercoaster the last half of 2020 had us riding was something I have never experienced in my 20-year career.

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I have to admit, once the talk of the vaccine first started, I myself was hesitant. I had all of the same concerns and questions that everyone else did. I turned to science to try and ease my mind and help me make my decision. Science really is a wonderful thing. Drug companies working together for a common goal. No battle to see who would come out on top first. Money poured into COVID-19 vaccine research around the world, allowing the scientists to do what they do best. My decision was made – I was all for getting my shot. Then, there I was, Christmas morning, watching our kids open presents happy as ever. At 9 a.m. my phone rang: I had been in contact with my first COVID-19 positive patient. My heart stopped for a moment. I retraced my shift in my head. I had been alone in our COVID room for four hours with my patient. For me, that experience meant the vaccine could not get here soon enough. Fast forward a month, and on January 21 I was scheduled for my first vaccine. However before that day, I would hear those same words four more times: “Chantal your patient has tested positive for COVID.” Our hospital’s first vaccination day was one of the proudest days of my entire career. I was part of the vaccinating team. So not only did I receive my vaccine, I was part of a group that provided 76 other individuals their first dose of their vaccine. It was a beautiful day. The air was light; there was hope, relief and tons of laughter. All of which have been not so common throughout this COVID-19 war. Going forward, my hope is that more people turn towards, and trust science. Throughout history science has proven itself time and time again, and now with COVID-19, science deserves our trust again.

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