Premier adds voice to provincial vaccination push

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This article was published 30/10/2023 (723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew rolled up his sleeves to get his seasonal influenza and COVID-19 booster shots Monday morning, as doses continue to be distributed across the province.

The premier held a photo-op at the Shoppers Drug Mart in Osborne Village to raise public awareness for the province’s fall immunization campaign.

He received one shot in each arm, and repeated the government’s message to “stay on track” with vaccination.

“I really encourage everyone in Manitoba to do the same, if you haven’t already,” Kinew said following his shots.

He thanked pharmacists and other health-care workers across Manitoba who will be supporting the provincial program.

According to the government, vaccines are still being distributed and hundreds of locations across Manitoba will have “sufficient supply” for everyone who wants to be vaccinated.

As of Monday, more than 177,000 doses of the vaccine tailored to the XBB.1.5 strain of the novel coronavirus had been delivered to clinics and pharmacies, a provincial spokesperson said.

Nearly 59,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given to Manitobans during this respiratory virus season.

While there is no shortage of COVID-19 vaccine doses, they are delivered to Manitoba following a schedule outlined in national contracts with manufacturers, the spokesperson explained. Shipments are received on a weekly basis.

Manitoba has also received its flu shot order and doses are being “allocated and distributed to health-care providers,” the spokesperson said. So far, more than 348,000 doses have been distributed across the province.

More than 109,000 flu shots have been given to Manitobans.

In a release, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said it’s important for parents, caregivers, pregnant people, children and others who are most likely to develop serious symptoms from the flu and COVID-19 to get vaccinated.

“Getting the updated vaccines for COVID-19 and seasonal flu is one of the best ways to protect yourself against getting sick this winter,” Roussin said. “If you haven’t had a COVID-19 vaccine before, it’s never too late to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

Personal care home operators have been asked to roll out flu shots to residents by Oct. 31, a provincial spokesperson said.

COVID-19 shots will be given to long-term care residents six months after their last dose or infection, the spokesperson said.

Care homes have received more than 12,800 flu shots and 8,400 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

The provincial government offers an “vaccine finder” tool on its website (gov.mb.ca) to assist Manitobans in finding clinics and pharmacies offering immunizations.

Manitoba Public Health also recommends people take personal health measures, including: staying home when sick; washing hands or using hand sanitizer regularly; covering coughs and sneezes; wearing a face mask “as an extra layer of protection;” and regularly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects.

According to provincial data, five per cent of all Manitobans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months, as of Oct. 21. Just under six per cent of the population had received a seasonal flu shot since Sept. 1.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca