The Saskatchewan government says the province is expecting 4,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine to arrive next week. This comes after Health Canada gave the green light for Moderna’s vaccine.

“The approval of the Moderna vaccine means more high-risk Saskatchewan residents will be able to be immunized against COVID-19,” says Health Minister Paul Merriman in a statement on Wednesday from the government.

“This vaccine allows us to continue with our Phase 1 plans to target residents where they are living and working, whether in long term care and personal care homes, in northern and remote communities and in health care staff outside our major centres.”

Moderna’s doses have been approved for people 18 years and over and requires two doses, 28 days apart. This vaccine is different from Pfizer’s considering it does not require ultra-cold temperature refrigeration, which will allow public health to distribute these doses to more locations throughout the province as they become available.

Moderna vaccinations will target long term care and personal care home residents and staff; front-line health care workers most at risk for COVID-19 exposure; residents 80 years and older; and all residents 50 years and older living in northern and remote communities.

Widespread vaccine access to begin immunization of the general population will be part of phase two of the delivery plan, tentatively beginning in April 2021.