WINNIPEG - The province says First Nations citizens 42 and older, and Manitobans aged 62 and up, are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which means Premier Brian Pallister was among the next in line, as eligibility for the AstraZeneca shot also widens.
The provincial government has also approved the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, available at participating pharmacies and medical clinics, for Manitobans aged 65 and older, as the government updates its vaccine eligibility criteria, noting that priority should be given to those experiencing challenges with accessing clinics and supersites. The province paused administering the AstraZeneca vaccine for those 54 and under last month in response to international reports of the risk of blood clots, only allowing its use for people aged 55 to 64 who had certain high-risk health conditions.
The government says it’s planning two telephone town halls with Health Minister Heather Stefanson, Vaccine Implementation Task Force leads Dr. Joss Reimer and Johanu Botha, and Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin, to discuss the progress of the province’s vaccination campaign. One session will be specifically for northern and rural communities, and will be held on April 13 at 6:30 p.m. The other will focus largely on Winnipeg residents, and will be held on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. To participate, people can register here.
Dr. Roussin administered Premier Brian Pallister’s first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this morning at Winnipeg’s immunization super site at the RBC Convention Centre. “I am proud to do my part to help keep my family and my community safe from COVID-19,” Pallister says. “I want to commend Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force and its dedicated staff and volunteers.”
To find out for sure if you are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, you can visit this provincial health website.
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