This Thursday there will be pop-up clinics providing COVID-19 immunizations in several local communities — including Dauphin, Ashern, and Portage la Prairie.
Similar to the immunizations at the supersites (in Brandon, Winnipeg, Thompson and Selkirk), the pop-up clinics in smaller communities are by appointment only.
Eligible Manitobans can call 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC) to book an appointment, however there may be few appointments still open at the pop-up clinics happening this week.
Appointments at supersites can now be made online here with an email address and health card number.
On Wednesday, eligibility criteria to be immunized at a supersite or pop-up clinic were expanded to include individuals aged 73 or older and First Nation people aged 53 or older.
Click here to see the popup clinic schedule, with hours of operation and clinic locations.
AstraZeneca Update
With the national vaccine advisory committee approving the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in those over the age of 64, the provincial vaccine task force announced how that will affect the way it’s used in Manitoba.
Medical lead for Manitoba's vaccine task force Dr. Joss Reimer said it won’t immediately change our plans, but called it great news for Manitobans in the long run.
“That doesn’t change the fact that we only have 18,000 doses of AstraZeneca available. So for now we will be sticking with the current eligibility criteria and continue to make it available through doctor's offices and pharmacies.”
The AstraZeneca is currently available for Manitobans aged 50 to 64 years — and First Nations people aged 30 to 64 — with a high-risk condition.
The AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine is now available through some medical clinics and pharmacies. The online map shows appointments are still available at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy and the Dauphin Medical Clinic. Click here to see more.
Reimer also spoke to some concerns over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after several European countries halted its use this week linking it to blood clots.
“We are not seeing that here,” said Reimer, adding “the version of AstraZeneca being used in Europe is not the same as the [AstraZeneca batch] being used in Canada — we don’t have the same batch. But even if it was the same batch, there’s no indication that the vaccine has caused any of the adverse reactions being reported in Europe. In fact, in the UK where they’ve administered 11 million doses of AstraZeneca, they have not seen an increased risk of blood clots.”
