People trying to vaccinate their young children against COVID-19 in Saskatoon on Friday faced long wait times, with some rebooking their visits to other days.
Friday marked the first day that all Saskatchewan parents of children aged six months to five years could book an appointment for a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
Some Regina parents reported having difficulty reserving spots on Friday, but some Saskatoon parents were able to secure reservations.
However, parents in Saskatoon were reporting wait times of more than two hours to vaccinate their children at the local clinic in Prairieland Park.
Sean Brandt said he was excited after his wife successfully booked their children’s vaccination appointment at 10:30 a.m. CST, but when he arrived at Prairieland, he was greeted by a long line of children and adults who left the building.
After waiting about an hour with her 18-month-old and four-year-old son, she decided to reschedule her appointment for another day.
“It’s not exactly like you’re waiting in line at Disney,” he said.
“There is no break from the children’s perspective at the end of an hour’s wait.”
Brandt said a worker from the Saskatchewan Health Authority apologized to the families and told them that staff at the vaccination clinic believed they were only getting immunocompromised children that day, so there were only two or three workers working in the clinic that day.
“It’s kind of frustrating,” Brandt said.
“I’m a teacher so I’m out anyway. It didn’t really cost me anything except a little time. But I feel for the working parents who potentially had to take the day off and arrange it just to be nice. say no when you get to the door.”
A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority acknowledged there were some delays, but said this is common when new age groups become eligible for vaccines.
Many parents chose to book appointments on the same day, which led to a rapid increase in bookings on Friday morning, the spokesman said.
Limited doses
The health authority had already warned parents that there were a limited number of doses available, with only 13,000 doses of the pediatric vaccine received in the province so far.
Once stocks of these doses have been filled, appointments for young children will be put on hold until an additional supply of vaccines arrives.
The Moderna Spikevax vaccine doses are specially formulated for young children.
Pharmacists cannot vaccinate children under the age of five. As a result, all pediatric vaccinations will be given at provincially managed clinics.
Children who have been infected with COVID-19 must wait at least eight weeks between infection and vaccination.
Children should also wait eight weeks between the first and second doses of the two-dose vaccine.