Health officials in Manitoba say the province is expecting to receive its first shipments of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by mid-March.
At a technical briefing Wednesday morning, members of the province’s vaccine implementation task force said Manitobans could be receiving shots of the newly approved vaccine by the end of the month, although the federal government has yet to confirm how many doses are coming.
Health Canada authorized the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine last week, and the federal government said the first doses of the new vaccine were expected to begin arriving in Canada on Tuesday.
But questions about who should receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continue amid conflicting guidance about its use.
While Health Canada has authorized its use for all adult Canadians but the National Advisory Committee (NAC) on Immunization recommended Tuesday that it not be administered to people 65 years of age or older.
The committee says there is limited data from clinical trials about how effective the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is for seniors and recommends that they be given priority for the two other vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — already greenlighted for use in Canada.
Both Health Canada and the committee stress no safety concerns have arisen in the clinical studies or among the millions of seniors who have received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in other countries.
Dr. Joss Reimer, who heads up Manitoba vaccine implementation taskforce, said health officials in Manitoba are following the NAC’s recommendations and are still working out who will get the first shots.
She said the province will likely prioritize not just the oldest Manitobans within the NAC’s recommended age group, but also those who are at higher risks.
But specifics on the province’s planning aren’t being released yet, she added.
Like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine requires two shots.
For the Oxford-AstraZeneca the delay between shots is recommended to be between four and 12 weeks apart. Reimer says they’ll be given three months apart in Manitoba.
She said waiting that length of time between doses has been shown to increase the vaccine’s efficacy to more than 80 per cent.
Second doses to be delayed
At a Wednesday press conference Reimer also said the province also plans to begin delaying second dose appoints for all three approved vaccines in an effort to make sure more Manitobans get their first dose quicker.
She said the change is in response to studies that show first doses may be more effective than first thought.
“The reason for this decision at this time is based on what we’re seeing in real-world conditions about the effectiveness of the vaccines that are currently authorized for use in Canada and around the world,” Reimer said.
“These vaccines are providing a significant level of protection, even after one dose. This means that there is more of a clear advantage to getting vaccine to more people sooner.
“This approach will allow us to immunize more eligible Manitobans sooner and this helps protect us all.”
Reimer said health officials are still working out how the move to delay second dose appointments will affect the province’s vaccination efforts.
She said details will be worked out in accordance with a national panel’s guidelines, and second-dose appointments already booked will be honoured.
Canada is to receive 500,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the third approved for use in Canada, from the Serum Institute of India.
According to provincial data, Manitoba has so far delivered 80,171 doses of vaccine including 50,895 first doses and 29,276 second doses.
Health officials also announced Wednesday Manitoba is dropping its age for vaccinations in the general public by one year.
Vaccinations can now be booked for First Nations people aged 69 and up and for other people aged 89 and up.
— with files from The Canadian Press
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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