Manitoba is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine program into more neighbourhoods deemed to be at high risk of transmission.
Anyone 18 or older who lives in downtown Brandon, as well as the Point Douglas North and the downtown west areas of Winnipeg, can now book an appointment.
Adults who don’t live in those areas but work there in certain jobs that deal with the public are also eligible. They include school workers, grocery store employees, convenience store clerks and restaurant staff.
“We are choosing these communities based on an analysis of COVID-19 case rates, population density, the percentages of racialized populations, the income and amount of suitable housing in the areas,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the province’s vaccine effort.
All of Northern Manitoba and Winnipeg neighbourhoods, including Downtown East, Point Douglas South, Seven Oaks West, and Inkster East, are already eligible for priority vaccines.
Elsewhere in the province, the minimum age for vaccinations remains at 30 and up for First Nations people, and 40 and up for others.
Those living in the newly expanded neighbourhoods who now qualify for the vaccine can make an appointment starting at noon Wednesday, officials said.
Vaccination appointments can be made by calling 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) or online. More information, including a map highlighting the eligible neighbourhoods is available on the province’s website.
On Wednesday the province also announced it will be opening up two more vaccination super-sites — on May 10 in Dauphin and May 18 in Steinbach.
The Steinbach site will be located at 294 Lumber Ave. while the Dauphin one will open at 304 Whitmore Ave. East.
Manitobans can also now make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment by phone in more than 100 languages.
A provincial call centre is using an interpreter service to help people with booking, the government said in a release Wednesday.
People can also request an interpreter to be with them at their appointment if it is at one of the province’s super-site vaccination centres.
Vaccine hesitancy
While Reimer noted Manitobans have generally been eager to get vaccinated, there are some areas where uptake has been far below the provincial average.
Even with limited eligibility and supplies, 34 per cent of Manitoba adults have received at least one dose so far.
But the Stanley, Winkler and Hanover health districts in southern Manitoba have seen adult vaccination rates so far of between six and 15 per cent, according to provincial data released Wednesday.
The districts sit in the province’s so-called Bible Belt, but Reimer said there was no data directly linking religion to vaccine hesitancy. Some adjacent districts in the same region are not on the province’s list of low vaccination rates.
Stanley and Winkler are very close to one of the province’s vaccination super-sites in Morden.
“With Stanley actually being right around Morden and then Winkler being about a 15-minute drive, (the hesitancy) does appear more to be concerns around the vaccine as opposed to anything around inability to access the site,” Reimer said.
The districts have historically also had low uptake on seasonal flu shots and childhood vaccinations, she added.
The government plans to reach out to community and religious leaders in the area to help encourage people to get vaccinated.
Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew said getting local leaders onside is key.
“We have to get those people to help carry the message forward because … just the way people’s minds work, in some instances they’re going to put credence in a person that they already know and trust even more so than (in) an elected official or a public health official,” Kinew said.
The province says 447,031 first and second doses of vaccine have so far been given across the province.
Provincial data shows Manitoba has received 559,350 doses of vaccine in total, including 356,850 doses of Pfizer, 118,400 doses of Moderna, and 84,100 doses of the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine.
The province says to expects to receive another 2,340 doses of Pfizer and 22,100 doses of Moderna vaccine this week.
–With files from Steve Lambert at 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.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus page.
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