Manitoba has achieved its second holiday vaccine milestone of the ‘4-3-2-One Great Summer’ reopening path nearly a month ahead of schedule, meaning more than 75 per cent of eligible Manitobans have received at least one dose and more than 50 per cent of people have received both vaccine doses, Premier Brian Pallister announced today, noting provincewide efforts to tackle vaccine hesitancy and encourage Manitobans to roll up their sleeves continue.
“Once again Manitobans have responded in record numbers to do their part to roll up their sleeve and get vaccinated,” said Pallister. “As we look forward to regaining more of our freedoms this summer as more and more Manitobans get fully vaccinated, the race against COVID is not over yet. We all have a part to play, and to anyone who still needs their first or second dose, I want you to know that we still need you in this monumental, provincewide effort.”
Public health officials have recommended that at least one incubation period should pass between changing public health orders. As a result, the premier noted new public health orders are expected next week to reflect the immunization milestones achieved, and the state of COVID-19 in Manitoba at that time.
To help reduce barriers and support even more Manitobans to get their first or second dose of the vaccine, every super site in the province will be offering only walk-ins on Wednesday, July 14. More than 20,000 vaccines will be available including approximately 8,000 Pfizer vaccines earmarked for young people aged 12 to 17. There will be Moderna and Pfizer vaccines available at every super site.
“Our government has spared no effort to bolster vaccine availability and accessibility, and to give Manitobans the information and support they need to roll up their sleeve – not once, but twice – and get fully vaccinated,” said Pallister. “We are close to achieving all of our vaccination milestones earlier than we could have imagined. Now we just need that extra effort by every Manitoban not yet vaccinated to roll up your sleeve and push us across the finish line so we can safely, fully reopen.”
The province continues to show strong immunization numbers, as compared to other Canadian jurisdictions. Per capita, Manitoba continues to be first in the country in the total number of doses administered and percentage of eligible people aged 12 or older who are immunized at 129,111 per 100,000 and 51.1 per cent, respectively.
Community-led partnerships are continuing to help support the ongoing success of the province’s immunization campaign, the premier noted.
Earlier this week, Vidir Solutions held an immunization clinic in Arborg for its employees, their families and community members. It provided nearly 200 doses of vaccine including many first doses. The company supported the clinic with planning, worked with the regional health authority to line up immunizers, found volunteers to support on-site logistics, provided movies for young people being immunized and partnered with a food truck to provide everyone who was immunized with a small meal afterwards. The company also developed vaccination stickers in a number of languages, to represent the many languages spoken by people working in their facilities.
“It takes a community effort to make an event like this happen,” said Ernest Rempel, CEO, Vidir Solutions. “Vidir would like to express our gratitude to the nurses for their kindness and hard work throughout the day, to the IERHA and the provincial government for supplying the doses, to the Vaccine Task Force and MLA Derek Johnson and his office for their efforts toward making this clinic happen, to our staff volunteers for their tireless efforts and compassion for those attending the clinic, and to those who chose to attend for helping to keep our community safe. We believe in the strength and resiliency of Manitobans working together and are grateful for the opportunity to provide this service to our community, to help ease people’s anxiety, and to make the vaccination experience more positive and accessible for everyone.”
To achieve the Labour Day immunization targets as set out in the 4-3-2-One Great Summer Reopening Path, about 33,000 more first-dose and 100,000 second-dose immunizations must be given. These are in addition to the more than 180,000 vaccine appointments already booked in the weeks ahead.
The Manitoba government recently introduced the $30-million Healthy Hire Manitoba Program, a new wage support to help private-sector employers reopen and encourage employees to get vaccinated and return to work. In addition, the Manitoba Bridge Grant program has been reopened to provide an estimated $5 million in support for seasonal businesses, new applicants and others affected by public health restrictions. More information on these and other programs to support Manitoba businesses is available at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/programs/index.html/.
An interactive map of the vaccine super sites, including hours of operation, is available at https://protectmb.ca/.
