View From the Legislature

Over the past week there has been a great deal of concern about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada. The federal government, which is responsible for the supply of these vaccines, has seen their shipments of the two approved vaccines in Canada reduced significantly and there have been other concerning comments from countries that manufacture the vaccines that have caused questions about the reliability of supply. As a result, Canada’s position in the world when it comes to vaccine distribution is now worse than 30 other nations and falling further behind.

Despite these concerns, provincial governments need to continue to prepare vaccination sites with the hope that the vaccine supply from the federal government will improve and significantly increase in the weeks ahead. Already in Manitoba, vaccine supersites have been opened in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson and they are prepared to handle thousands of Manitobans when greater vaccine supply becomes available. But as vaccines hopefully become more available there will be a need to have the delivery of shots closer to Manitobans.

One of the current challenges, in addition to the supply of the vaccines, is that the two approved COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are challenging to transport and store because they need to be maintained at super low temperatures. However, other vaccines which have been submitted to Health Canada or are currently under development, are more traditional in their storage. As a result, if they are approved, they would be more easily provided by local pharmacists and doctors in the way that annual flu shots are administered. In anticipation of this, the Manitoba government announced on Tuesday a partnership with pharmacists and physicians to be able to provide COVID-19 vaccines using their clinics and pharmacies. This will, as vaccines become more available, allow Manitobans to get the vaccine closer to home.

As well, last week the Vaccination Implementation Task Force published a prioritization list for giving the vaccine for those Manitobans who want it. As well, Manitobans can see where they fall in the line-up to get the vaccine depending on their age and other criteria by visiting the Manitoba COVID-19 website at gov.mb.ca. Of course, the prioritization list does not tell Manitobans when they can get the vaccine as that will depend on the ability of Canada to get the supply that it needs.

While the development of vaccines for COVID-19 happened faster than many could have anticipated, for those who want the vaccine the wait to get it now feels very long. The good news is that Manitoba residents in Personal Care Homes have had at least one dose, but it is frustrating for others who are waiting. While Manitoba waits for additional vaccine supply, we will continue to prepare for its distribution and to ensure that Manitobans who want the vaccine can get it as soon as possible and as close to home as possible when it is available.