Province works with feds on vaccine passport
Saskatchewan is joining other provinces in partnering with the federal government to create a national vaccine passport.
ehealth Saskatchewan — the Treasury Board Crown corporation that manages residents' electronic health records — is sharing with the federal government how its information system works and how this vaccination data could be used in a vaccine passport.
“This information sharing process is underway,” the Ministry of Health said in an emailed statement, noting this is information all provinces are sharing with the federal government. “The province of Saskatchewan has always indicated that we would work with the federal government to develop COVID-19 immunization certificates that will be recognized as proof of vaccination status,” it said.
The Ministry of Health emphasized in its email it was not creating a provincial vaccine passport.
Dennis Kendel, a health policy consultant in Saskatoon, said any attempt to separate the concept of a national vaccine passport from a provincial one sounds like “doublespeak.”
He is pleased to hear Saskatchewan is partnering with the federal government on a vaccine passport as he expects such a document will be necessary for international travel. But he said a national passport can just as easily be used within the province by those seeking vaccination proof.
“The most rigorous standard is going to be the federal standard that will enable us to move between countries, but if one needed to show proof of full vaccination for any purpose in Saskatchewan, the same document could serve that purpose,” Kendel said. “If you have this national document, then that could be the standard of proof.”
Premier Scott Moe has previously shot down the idea of provincial vaccine passports and said proof of vaccination will not be required for events such as Roughrider games at Mosaic Stadium.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in an emailed statement Tuesday that the federal government is “exploring the considerations and potential uses of proof of vaccination credentials to facilitate international travel and manage the border.”
Preserving the privacy of residents is one aspect being considered, along with what international standards will be.
“Provinces and territories own and maintain health registries. Any proof of vaccination credentials would be designed so that privacy of medical information is preserved, and data is only shared when a credential holder decides to share it,” PHAC'S email said.
PHAC did not provide any kind of timeline for when the federal government was hoping to roll out these passports.
Saskatchewan received more than 97,000 Pfizer vaccine doses this week, but the daily vaccination rates continue to show signs of demand slowing down.
Just 2,636 doses were administered on Monday, with 2,184 of those being used as second doses. Sunday also saw fewer than 3,000 new shots given out, even as another 180,000 Pfizer doses are expected to arrive in the province over the next two weeks.
The provincial government is once again urging people to roll up their sleeves for their first and second shots with this increased availability, and encouraged people to not let their summer holidays stand in the way of getting their first or second dose as soon as possible.
“While it has proven safe and effective to interchange MRNA vaccines for second dose, those between the ages of 12 and 17 and those seeking Pfizer as a second dose should seek vaccination clinics and appointments now,” the province's release said.
“Delaying your vaccination plans only allow more time for potential community transmission.”
The province also reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and no new deaths.
Another 154 cases of variants of concern were also confirmed, with 81 of these Delta cases.
Sixty-four were the Alpha variant and nine were the Gamma variant.
Active cases fell to 242 and the seven-day average of daily new cases fell to 25, or 2.1 per 100,000 population.
There are currently 55 people in hospital, with 10 now reported in ICU.