Manitoba flu shot numbers tick up for children

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This article was published 18/12/2022 (691 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

About 13 per cent of Manitoba children and youth have rolled up their sleeves for a flu shot this season.

That figure is an improvement since late last month, according to the province, when about 10 per cent had been vaccinated.

In its most recent respiratory virus surveillance report (for the week ending Dec. 10), the provincial government stated Manitoba’s influenza shot uptake is at 23 per cent overall.

It was 13.5 per cent for children under five, who are at the highest risk of becoming severely ill with the flu this season. In the ages five to 17 group, uptake was at 12.6 per cent.

Seniors, who are eligible for a high-dose flu shot, are the age group most likely to be immunized against influenza. Among Manitobans 65 or older, flu shot uptake was at 57.2 per cent.

As of last week, the flu was still the cause of about half of all visits to the Children’s Hospital emergency department at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. Pediatric health officials have urged parents to get their children vaccinated (babies are eligible starting at six months) to stem the tide of serious flu symptoms and complications.

COVID-19 infections are also occurring, and many of the children are showing up in hospital with multiple viral infections, health officials have stated.

Manitoba’s first shipment of COVID-19 bivalent boosters for children ages five to 11 had been set to arrive this week.

Appointment booking for the bivalent vaccine opened last week (Dec. 14), but a provincial spokesperson stated the province’s call centre and online booking tool no longer track the type of vaccine being requested at the time the appointment is booked, making it unclear what demand has been for bivalent boosters.

The province now has its entire COVID-19 vaccine supply for 2022, and expects to receive more doses in the new year, the provincial spokesperson stated.