Sask. offering more shots to people who got mixed doses or AstraZeneca and plan to travel internationally

The Saskatchewan government announced Tuesday it is making additional doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines such asModerna or Pfizer-BioNTech available for those who received one or two shots of AstraZeneca-Oxford, or two different brands of vaccine.

While the province said all vaccines administered across the country are approved by Health Canada as safe and effective, some countries are requiring travellers to have proof of immunization with specific vaccines.

Saskatchewan residents are encouraged to check on the approved vaccines for the country they're visiting before travelling internationally.

"Residents who received a combination of AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna can receive a third dose of vaccine to match their last vaccine brand, as long as their last vaccination was Pfizer or Moderna," the province said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

"Individuals who received two doses of Covishield or AstraZeneca are able to complete a schedule to support international travel requirements with two additional matching mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer or Moderna."

Proof of intent to travel will not be needed to receive the additional vaccinations, the province added.

People can book appointments through pharmacies still offering vaccinations, or visit a pop-up clinic near them.

Unvaccinated people make up majority of new COVID-19 cases: province

Saskatchewan health officials reported another 107 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

The majority (77 per cent) of those were in unvaccinated people and nine per cent were in partially vaccinated people,the province said.

Health officials also noted more than one-third of the fresh cases are in people in their 20s and 30s.

Saskatchewan's seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases currently sits at 117 9.7 per 100,000 people.

As of Tuesday, 76 per cent of Saskatchewan residents 12 and older had received their first dose of vaccine and 66 per cent were fully vaccinated.