Manitoba and Saskatchewan are beginning to plan the provinces’ rollout of COVID-19 vaccine second doses.
In Manitoba, second dose appointments will kick off May 21, starting at 11:45 a.m., for people with any one of a series of health conditions – namely, people with cancer, heart failure, liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, HIV, Down syndrome, anyone receiving home care at least four times a week or getting 24/7 care through Community Living Disability Services support and others.
People who have been prescribed any one of a series of heavy-duty medications, including some used for chemotherapy (cyclophophamide), cancer care (alemtuzumab), anti-organ rejection (mycophenolate), immune system suppression (calcineurin inhibitors and/or chronic dose prednisone, over 20 milligrams a day), rheumatoid arthritis (Janus kinase inhibitors) and others, can also qualify for a second dose appointment. People who have received an organ transplant, who are waiting for an organ transplant, who are receiving stem cell transplants and who are receiving dialysis are also eligible for a second dose as of May 21.
Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force, said priorities for second doses are aimed at people who already have health issues often made worse or made deadly when COVID-19 enters the fray.
“These medical conditions put people at higher risk of severe effects of COVID-19. The third wave is here, and we need to take a seat in the vaccination clinic, roll up our sleeves, and protect ourselves and each other. We are in a race against the virus and against the variants, and we are seeing the devastating effects it can have on people, on our health-care system and on our health-care providers. I urge all Manitobans to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Reimer in a provincial press release.
As with the first round of vaccinations, second dose eligibility will loosen up as shipments of vaccine to Manitoba increase and as vaccines are distributed throughout the province.
Starting May 25, provincial immunization teams will be providing second doses to people living in a series of congregate living facilities, but it appears those teams won’t be heading north yet – no homes in the Northern Health Region (NHR) were included on a list of over 90 homes throughout Manitoba that will see second doses administered between May 25-June 9.
Throughout Manitoba, all people age 18 and up are able to book appointments for doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Youths ages 12-17 are also able to book appointments for Pfizer doses. In Flin Flon, doses of Pfizer vaccine will be made available for youth ages 12-17 at the Flin Flon Community Hall May 29, with no appointment needed for doses.
As of May 19, about 53 per cent of all eligible Manitobans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. While some areas of the NHR are higher than the provincial average for vaccinations, only about 44 per cent of people in the NHR have received a first dose, with about 15 per cent having already received a second dose.
Saskatchewan
Back in Canada’s Breadbasket, the second dose program is in the oven and will start rising soon.
Second doses are already being handed out in Saskatchewan, with people age 85 or older who received their first dose before February 15 immediately ready to book appointments. In Creighton, people age 85 can access their second dose at the Creighton Provincial Building as part of a walk-in clinic for Moderna vaccines.
Like in Manitoba, other accommodations are planned to allow for people with certain health issues to get a second dose sooner. People who have been diagnosed with or treated for cancer and people who have received solid organ transplants will get letters of eligibility in the mail giving them priority access for a second dose.
Following that, the second dose rollout will look very similar to Saskatchewan’s first dose rollout – eligibility based on age or date of first doses, with people who meet either criteria able to get their full vaccination. The province has laid out a tentative schedule for doing second doses, predicting it will be able to loosen up eligibility for second doses each week until the end of July.
Under the current schedule, Saskatchewan anticipates it will reach eligibility for all people 55 or older (or for all people who got a first dose on or before April 7) by June 14, with age restrictions dropped entirely by Canada Day, making second doses available for anyone who’s received a first dose before May 1.
