Federal health minister disappointed in provincial vaccination delays

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This article was published 29/12/2020 (1360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu isn’t impressed provinces such as Manitoba ceased COVID-19 vaccinations over Christmas.

“Vaccination saves lives. Every day that we delay, in fact, is another risk for a person in a long-term care home,” Hajdu told reporters Wednesday.

“I think it’s Canadians that expect that we get on with vaccinations, as quickly as possible.”

Manitoba suspended its COVID-19 vaccination clinics for five days this month; it remains unclear who on the local vaccine roll-out team made that decision, and why. The province, meanwhile, insists this was the plan since the day it received its first doses of vaccine.

Ontario similarly suspended its vaccination process, prompting an apology from the retired soldier overseeing that province’s deployment plan.

Instead of expressing regrets, the Manitoba government defended its choice, saying Tuesday decisions are taken to “maximize the efficiency and effectiveness” of the immunization program.

“We have not halted or altered our plans,” the Pallister government added Wednesday. “Every person who was scheduled to get a vaccine dose in this first round has received one. There has been no delay, and to suggest otherwise is misleading.”

However, while jabs were suspended, Shared Health instructed health-care workers to continue working over the holidays, noting in a staff memo: “This virus does not take days off or recognize holidays.”

Hajdu said Wednesday that Ottawa has moved heaven and earth to get vaccine doses into Canada, and provinces have to hold up their end of the bargain. ​She did not not specifically name any province.

“It’s really important that, as we deliver federally on our commitment for early doses… that provinces and territories continue their hard work, to get vaccines in arms, so we can all save lives and stop the spread,” she said.

Hajdu is probably referring to other provinces, the Manitoba provincial government said in a statement.

“If the federal government is looking to criticize any province for vaccine delays, they need to look elsewhere than Manitoba,” a spokesman wrote.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the soldier leading Canada’s vaccine distribution operation, said Ottawa is closely co-ordinating with provinces on the arrival of the first doses.

He suggested the military will soon shift to making sure staffing and supplies are in place to accept much larger quantities of vaccines.

“The next round will be (to) ensure that we share best practices between provinces and territories, and make sure we have a ready workforce to administer at scale, across the country,” Fortin said.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca