The dos and don'ts of getting your COVID-19 shot at a Sask. pharmacy

So you're eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and you want to get your shot at a Saskatchewan pharmacy. Great! 

There are some important things to keep in mind, says Dawn Martin, the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan.

Pharmacies have administered between 40,000 and 50,000 doses in the province since joining the vaccination drive in the last few weeks and are expected to play a greater role during the second-dose phase, Martin said.

According to the province, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipments are being divvied up essentially 50-50 between Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) clinics and pharmacies.

While pharmacists are used to giving out shots during flu season, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a new wrinkle in requiring the thawed-out Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be used quickly in order to avoid any wastage, she said. 

"That's really intense this time around because the supply to date has been a bit limited, but is going to get better and better as we go into the next few weeks."

Here are five guidelines Martin encourages people to follow in order to help pharmacists in their future vaccination efforts. 

Don't just walk in. Call ahead

"There's a huge amount of pressure on the supply that pharmacists have right now, so you need to call ahead," Martin said.

The map of Saskatchewan pharmacies currently administering COVID-19 vaccines can be found here.

Scott Livingstone, the CEO of the SHA, said Thursday that links to pharmacies' online booking systems will be added to that database. 

Don't call a pharmacy until your age-bracket is eligible

"It's really important to know that pharmacies as well have to operate under that age category strategy that the government has set out and the Saskatchewan Health Authority is doing," Martin said. 

In case you missed it, here's the tentative schedule for future second-dose age drops:

The Ministry of Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority will confirm the date of each age drop when it becomes official. 

"Some pharmacies have wait lists, but not all," Martin said. 

Do cancel your appointment if you get your shot elsewhere first

"Make sure that if you have an appointment at a pharmacy or you have an appointment [with the SHA] or you have multiple appointments, if you do end up going and getting your shot, please cancel all those other appointments," Martin said. "The whole system is working really hard here. Those cancelled appointments cause some problems."

Don't expect a centralized pharmacy booking system in Saskatchewan

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said Thursday there are currently no plans to develop a provincial pharmacy booking system.

Martin said there have been discussions about it between the association and the government, but that it's likely too late to launch such a system now. 

"In an ideal world where we weren't dealing with all of the pressures and problems and challenges related to the pandemic, sure, that would probably help," she said. 

Do be patient. Your time will come

"We're really struggling with a lot of pressure, a lot of phone calls to pharmacies [from] people who aren't in that second-dose age category," Martin said. 

"So I'm just asking people, please be patient."