Coronavirus: Manitoba reports one adverse effect from COVID-19 vaccine

Manitoba is reporting one “adverse effect” from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine since the inoculation program started on Dec. 16, according to a release the province’s website from Christmas Eve.

Global News reached out to the province for more information about the adverse effect to which a spokesperson responded:

“An adverse event following immunization (AEFI) is any untoward medical occurrence in a vaccine that follows immunization and does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the vaccine or the immunization process. They are rare but not unexpected. Personal health details regarding individual AEFIs which may impact an individual’s privacy are not disclosed.”

To date, 2,177 health care workers in Manitoba have been immunized.

The next clinic will be held on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30 and as of Dec. 24, 530 spots remained available for eligible health care workers to book.

Eligibility originally included anyone working directly with patients, but has been expanded slightly in the last week.

It now includes anyone working in a critical care unit regardless of age.

Other eligible workers include staff in long-term care and acute care facilities who were born on or before Dec. 31, 1962 and anyone assigned to a COVID-19 immunization clinic or testing site.

There will also be a new COVID-19 dashboard coming to Manitobans computer screens specifically for the province’s vaccine program.

The vaccine dashboard will be launched in January, which is when the province expects to immunize up to 10,000 Manitobans per week.