All Manitobans will have vaccine dose by end of June, task force predicts

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This article was published 04/03/2021 (1397 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province’s vaccine task force is projecting all Manitobans can be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of June.

Sometime between mid-May and the end of June, everyone who wants a first dose of vaccine in the province should be able to get one, based on supply and the task force’s current plans, officials announced Friday.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the provincial vaccine task force, and Dr. Marcia Anderson, public-health lead of the First Nations Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team, held a news conference Friday to announce sped-up vaccine delivery based on the province’s decision to delay the second dose of the vaccines by up to four months.

Task force officials are promising widespread vaccine rollout to Indigenous communities starting later this month, and upcoming vaccine appointments at doctors’ offices and pharmacies for Manitobans age 50 to 64 who have serious health conditions.

Vaccine clinics are expected to be set up in First Nations communities in mid-March, open to all residents over 18 so that vaccination teams don’t have to make multiple trips to remote locations to immunize different age groups. They expect to be able to offer a first dose of the Moderna vaccine to all residents of 63 First Nations communities, and 47 other northern Indigenous communities, including Métis, by mid-May. Communities at high risk of flooding will be prioritized for the clinics, Anderson said.

Meanwhile, the province changed its booking process Friday to set up only single-shot appointments. Previously, an appointment for a second dose had to be booked within three weeks of the first, but Reimer announced Wednesday Manitoba is now following advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which recommended delaying second doses beyond the manufacturer’s guidelines, since the vaccines have been found to be effective for even one dose.

The second dose is still “really critical” for prolonged immunity against COVID-19, Reimer said, but the province is acting on recommendations that the second doses can be delayed for a few months. They want as many people to get the first dose as soon as possible.

The province expanded vaccine eligibility again Friday to those age 87 and older, and for First Nations residents 67 and older. Manitobans 80 and older could be eligible as early as next week, Reimer said.

A shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines is headed to Manitoba doctors and pharmacists, but they don’t yet know how much supply they’ll each get or when they can start taking appointments. The task force drafted a list of serious health conditions that must get priority. Manitobans age 50 to 64 who have those health conditions will be first to be allowed to book an appointment at their doctor’s office or pharmacy, Reimer said Friday. She said more information on those plans will be released as it becomes available.

Delaying the second dose moved up Manitoba’s supply timelines, said task force co-lead Johanu Botha, adding that depending on supply, all eligible Manitobans could be vaccinated by May 18, or in a “non-ideal” situation, the end of June.

“We’re confident we can do this if the supply arrives more consistently,” he said.

The province doesn’t yet know how many doses it can expect to receive of the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine that Health Canada approved Friday.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Katie May
Reporter

Katie May is a general-assignment reporter for the Free Press.

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