The Government of Saskatchewan also announced that due to a large increase in AstraZeneca vaccines set to arrive over the next few days, a large number of additional drive-thru and walk-in vaccination clinics will be opening in the province, including one walk-in and one drive-thru in Moose Jaw open to all residents aged 55 and up.

Other additional clinics will be opened in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Weyburn, Swift Current, Prince Albert, Lloydminster, and North Battleford.

All clinics will be first come first serve and will begin in some communities as early as this weekend. The walk-in clinic in Moose Jaw is scheduled to open on Wednesday, April 7, with the drive-thru clinic slated to open Friday, April 9.

"Vaccinations are the quickest path out of the pandemic event," Health Minister Paul Merriman said. "We need to provide as many residents with safe and effective immunization as quickly as possible, prioritizing drive-thru's for those centres with increased COVID-19 transmission rates."

"All vaccines approved for use in Canada are safe and all have real-world evidence that they prevent the most serious illness and death caused by COVID-19," Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said. "The right vaccine for you is the one that is available to you. While Canada has put a pause on offering AstraZeneca to residents younger than 55 until a further safety review is completed, it remains that the risk of adverse effects of all vaccines is very, very low. The benefits of being vaccinated against COVID-19 far outweigh all risks."

The drive-thru and walk-in clinics being announced today will operate in addition to normal clinics.

The drive-thru clinic in Regina which was closed earlier due to lack of supplies is scheduled to reopen this Saturday as well.

***UPDATE***

The walk-in clinic is set to open this Wednesday at the Golden Nugget Centre. The drive-thru will open on Friday in the parking lot of the South Hill Fire Station. Hours of operation have yet to be determined.