Flu shot rollout in Saskatchewan a trial run for COVID-19 vaccinations

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has developed an all-hands on deck approach to rolling out this year’s flu shot. The effort, to make vaccinations as widely available as possible, is in part to prevent the so-called ‘twindemic’, where large numbers of people contract both influenza and COVID-19. The lessons learned from this widespread push will provide a template for how authorities could distribute a COVID-19 vaccine once one is available.

"There might be some initiatives that we've tried that are new and different that work very well, while there may be others that didn't work so well and that we may not want to repeat when the COVID vaccine becomes available," said Dr. Kevin Wasko, a physician executive with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

The province has ordered more doses of the flu shot than ever at almost 600,000, and is distributing it through more than 550 locations including acute care centres, emergency departments, clinics, and pharmacies; plans are also in place for it to be delivered by home-care providers and family physicians.

Source: CBC Saskatoon