Manitoba public health officials say they’re keeping an eye on recent changes to COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but that choices in other provinces won’t influence decisions made here.
Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba’s deputy chief public health officer, said Manitoba is focused on its own fight against the virus.
“Just because one province is doing something, doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to do that. We’ll look at that, we’ll see if that is feasible in Manitoba as well, but we continue to look at the evidence that we have, and we have to look at what we have from a capacity standpoint.”
Atwal said he wouldn’t speculate on any future changes to public health orders, but does believe the province would try to increase capacity at restaurants and other venues to before dropping proof of vaccination — something Saskatchewan is planning for Feb. 14.
“I think first we have to bring capacities back up to 100 per cent, and then we’d have to take those next steps afterward,” he said.
Manitoba’s vaccine task force lead, Dr. Joss Reimer, said it’s encouraging to see Manitobans continue to step up for their first doses of the vaccine.
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Reimer said some Manitobans who had been hesitant are now seeing the positive impacts vaccination has had on their communities.
“They were nervous with this being a new vaccine, and wanted to see the effects that the vaccine had on their communities, on their friends, on their families,” she said.
“So that’s wonderful to see — any time that someone feels this is the best next step for them, we’re really excited to welcome them to get that first dose.”
688 first doses were recorded in Manitoba on Tuesday, and Reimer said she expects those numbers to continue.
f you’ve recently recovered from COVID-19, you may have to wait a couple months before getting your next vaccine dose.
For those who have recently recovered from COVID-19, Reimer said the province’s new guidance says you should hold off for two to three months before getting your next dose of the vaccine — although there’s no clear data on the best timing available, so this advice could change in future.
“NACI (National Advisory Committee on Immunization) has indicated that a longer interval between infection and vaccination might result in a better immune response,” said Reimer.
“It allows time for the immune response to mature and for circulating antibodies to decrease before being triggered again.
The province also adopted NACI guidance that recommends at-risk youth aged 12 to 17 to receive a booster shot — although that’s not an option for the general population.
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