Revised - Even after four weeks of no active COVID-19 cases, no relief is in sight from the virus safety measures.

That was one of the takeaways from the weekly COVID briefing provided Thursday by government officials, Premier Sandy Silver and Dr. Brendan Hanley, the chief medical officer of health.

Both men said the lengthy period of no infections is very good news, but no cause to let up on the tight health regulations of the last few months.

“We’re very fortunate to be in this position,” Silver said.

“A lull can seem like an opportunity to relax,” Hanley added. “But it’s just a matter of time until we see COVID in the territory again. We must continue to act as if COVID is here.”

Silver said it’s a delicate balancing act between keeping everyone safe and mental health. He noted the variants of the virus popping up are also of concern.

Hanley said, “We have to strike the best balance between restrictions and being human, what we need to thrive and make a living.”

That’s why they’re not willing to even consider loosening restrictions, and re-emphasized they consider sticking with the “Safe Six + 1” to be vital yet.

They made it clear they regard vaccines as being almost a panacea for finally stopping the pandemic, even with supply problems and side effects causing issues.

Silver and Hanley pressed their assertions that everyone in the Yukon who has received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine will be able to receive their second booster in the right time frame.

Those doses are set aside for people, they said. The booking service is not yet open for people to begin making appointments to receive them, something which has not yet been explained by the government.

Silver said the federal government provided another shipment of the vaccine totalling 4,500 doses last weekend.

That’s part of the reduced allotment from Moderna that has forced the closure of the Whitehorse clinic to the general public indefinitely.

“The first-shot clinics could re-open very soon, hopefully,” said Silver.

The premier said he is continuing to press federal officials over the allotment and shipping problems. He said he remains confident the Yukon will receive its full share in a timely fashion in the first quarter of 2021.

Hanley and Silver also attempted to reassure the public the second dose of the Moderna vaccine is perfectly safe, although they acknowledged it’s causing much more noticeable side effects than the first dose. They said they’ve been “hearing rumours and rumblings” about the side effects.

Hanley called that first dose a “primer” for the immune system, while the second dose “kick-starts” it.

Those side effects include fatigue, soreness at the injection site, fever, muscle aches and other symptoms. The symptoms can last for one to three days.

That’s all the sign of the immune system “gearing up” to combat the virus, Hanley said.

“It’s a sign it’s working.”

In one to five per cent of cases, the effects can be severe enough to mimic a COVID infection, Hanley said.

He added people might be well-advised to consider timing their second doses to coincide with a day off work – or perhaps to take a day off.

“The effects will definitely be more noticeable than the first,” Hanley said. “It’s a transient and small reminder. It’s a small price to pay for such good protection.”

Some people will not experience any side effects, he added.

On Monday, the Star reported a significant number of health and social service workers were off the job due to the side effects.

Steve Geick, the president of the Yukon Employees’ Union, said he had received information directly from government sources that up to 60 per cent of workers in some locations were off work last Friday due to the side-effects.

Hanley and Silver denied those numbers at the briefing Thursday, calling them “misinformation”.

They said government numbers – the same source Geick quoted – indicated the absentee rate was more like 10 per cent, which was well within the normal range.

“I was very upset at that,” Hanley said.

No explanation has been provided for the discrepancy in the figures from the same source.

So far, 10,604 doses have been administered to Yukoners. Second doses have been provided to 830 people.

After the briefing, the Star asked Pat Living, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services, about whether there are specific benchmarks, criteria or a plan for easing the COVID restrictions.

“He (Hanley) has not listed any specific criteria but is definitely looking at the broader situation about COVID, not just Yukon, when making decisions on what to recommend to government.

“To report there is no plan is wrong. What I said was he had not released specifics.”