Manitobans between 12 and 17 who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC) along with those with underlying health conditions within this age group are now eligible to get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the province’s vaccine task force, announced the change on Monday, a move she says is in line with guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
Manitobans between 12 and 17 who belong to marginalized or racialized communities, have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised and triple-vaccinated, or live in correctional centres, group homes or shelters are eligible to get a booster shot, Reimer said.
Public health is recommending Pfizer for these individuals to minimize the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, two conditions that result in the inflammation of heart tissues, but which are mild and extremely rare, Reimer said.
The news comes as Manitoba’s hospitalizations dropped over the weekend. As of Monday, there were 702 people with the virus in hospital, 47 of whom were in ICU.
Dr. David Matear, who is tasked with the province’s health system pandemic response, said they’ve dropped 4.5 per cent over the last week.
The downward trend is encouraging, but the number remains too high, Matear said.
He says hospitals are still not anywhere close to near-normal capacity due to the burden of treating those with the virus.
There were also 15 more deaths recorded Saturday through Monday.
Vaccine uptake higher in BIPOC communities
The province also provided data on vaccine uptake across different Manitoba communities.
BIPOC Manitobans — who account for more than a third of the province’s population — have gotten immunized against COVID-19 at higher rates compared to those who identify as white, Dr. Marcia Anderson of the First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team said.
“These communities are much more likely to be vaccinated in Winnipeg,” Anderson said.
However, BIPOC communities aren’t going out to get their booster shots as quickly as Manitobans who identify as white, Anderson said.
Due to higher vaccination rates, she says they’ve also been less likely to end up in hospital with COVID-19.
According to the province’s online dashboard, almost 86 per cent of eligible Manitobans have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, more than 80 per cent have received two, and almost 42 per cent have received two.
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