Manitoba's top doctor says vaccine uptake will have to be higher before our province begins lifting mandates such as proof of vaccination.
Public health officials announced 162 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Of those, 57 are in the Southern Health region.
Acording data from Manitoba Public Health, 84.4 per cent of eligible Manitobans are now fully vaccinated. Within Southern Health, it is 68.8 per cent.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, says Manitoba could consider phasing out mandates when the risk of transmission is no longer overwhelming the health care system. He notes currently, with the level of vaccine and the rate of transmission, Manitoba is still at risk.
"So we need to ensure we have these restrictions in place, including the proof of vaccine requirement," he points out. "Once we get to a level of vaccination, a level of susceptibility in the population, level of transmission in the population that doesn't put us at risk for overwhelming the health care system, that's when we can start cautiously rolling back."
When asked what sort of benchmarks Manitobans can look for, to know if we are trending close to those targets, Dr. Roussin was non-committal.
"Even if you have high uptake but still very low levels of uptake in certain areas, you can still be at risk," he notes. "So it's hard to put a specific benchmark."
However, he did say that vaccine uptake certainly needs to be higher than where it currently sits.
Last week, a new public health order was introduced in Manitoba, which places tighter restrictions on religious gatherings in Southern Health, and will soon require children aged 12 to 17 to be vaccinated in order to play indoor recreation sports. Unlike previous public health orders that had an end date, the new orders will be in place until terminated. Dr. Roussin was asked today whether additional restrictions might be coming yet before Christmas.
"It's hard to predict," he says. "What we know is our trajectory is not in the right direction right now. We know that our health care system is continually at risk of being overwhelmed."
As of Wednesday there are 30 patients in Manitoba receiving intensive care for COVID-19.
VACCINES
The Manitoba government says it is working with Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre on a pilot project to provide vulnerable people who may not have a mailing address with an alternate version of the Manitoba immunization card.
These organizations request the card on the person’s behalf, then print out a copy of the QR code and seal it in a wallet-sized sleeve. This will help ensure these individuals can still access businesses and venues that require proof of immunization. To verify, businesses can scan this printed QR code and check against the person’s identification.
Additionally, the Province announced Wednesday that the COVID-19 viral-vector vaccine Janssen will be available to those ages 18 and older by the end of this week.
The vaccine will be available at some pharmacies and medical clinics. Those wishing to receive Janssen can check the updated map at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder.html. Individuals are considered fully immunized 14 days after receiving their single dose. However, due to the relatively lower effectiveness of Janssen, the province recommends a second dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) be given at least six months after first dose.
Currently, individuals with a single dose of Janssen are eligible to apply for a Manitoba immunization card through the regular process. However, a second COVID-19 vaccine dose may be required to ensure it remains valid.