The immunization clinic is wrapping up the final appointments on Dec. 31, 2020, at the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences on the Bannatyne campus. Approximately 3,400 immunizations have been given since the vaccine arrived in Manitoba earlier this month.
Final preparations are underway to move immunizations to the much larger RBC Convention Centre super site, which will open Jan. 4, 2021. Thousands of appointments have already been made for Jan. 4 to 10 with second-dose appointments occurring Jan. 25 to 31, 2021. To date, about 2,900 first-dose appointments have been made and approximately 3,200 remain available. The phone line is open to eligible health-care workers from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until all spaces are filled.
Eligibility criteria currently include health-care workers whose work involves direct contact with patients and who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- work in critical care units;
- work in long-term care facilities, born on or before Dec. 31, 1972 (changed from 1969);
- work in acute care facilities, born on or before Dec. 31, 1972 (changed from 1969); or
- assigned to a COVID-19 immunization clinic or testing site.
Individuals should not call to make an appointment unless they meet the eligibility criteria. People with appointments are reminded to enter through the main doors on York Avenue at the RBC Convention Centre, and free indoor parking is included in the main convention centre parkade. In order to limit crowding, and keep an even flow of immunizations, people are asked not to show up any more than 15 minutes before their appointment time. Procedures are in place to assure no one will miss their appointment, but steps must be taken to limit crowds.
Beginning in January, Manitoba will launch an online dashboard to provide statistics about the immunization program. More information about the vaccine campaign in Manitoba is available at manitoba.ca.
