Flu season is ramping up and COVID, unfortunately, is not completely in the past but the vaccines are still available for those who want them at select locations.
There’s an online tool available on the province’s website, which assists people in finding the closest place they can get the shot. It is called the COVID and flu vaccine finder and it allows Manitobans to search for the exact vaccine they need.
Physicians have been urging people to get their vaccines as a triple threat of viruses is spreading early this year and Manitobans need to prepare for what’s expected to be a brutal flu season.
The rapid spread of RSV, COVID-19 and influenza has doctors worried about hospitals being overwhelmed.
A top doctor at the children’s hospital in Winnipeg said on Nov. 22 that the facility has seen three times the normal number of children with the seasonal flu so far this month.
As well as encouraging Manitobans to get vaccinated, wash their hands, and isolate when ill, Doctors Manitoba has also recommended wearing masks to prevent the spread of the respiratory viruses that are leading to hospital visits.
In terms of mask mandates, though, the province’s top doctor Brent Roussin said there’s no plan to reinstate them any time soon.
“Our recommendations on masks hasn’t changed,” he told 680CJOB on Nov. 16.
“We’ve always had that out there. People who are high risk or in crowded or poorly ventilated areas — that’s where mask use is important. What we want to ensure is that message doesn’t translate into mandates.”
— With files from Global’s Keesha Harewood and the Canadian Press
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