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The Manitoba government says the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in Manitoba next week.
They will then be distributed to participating medical clinics and pharmacies.
The province is recommending this vaccine be provided to adults aged 50 to 64 years, with priority given to those at increased risk of experiencing serious outcomes.
Those appointments cannot be booked at this time, and officials say more information will be released shortly regarding who should receive the vaccine and how to book an appointment.
Today Health Canada authorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.
Eligibility criteria is being expanded today to include individuals aged 87 or older or First Nation people aged 67 or older at the time of booking an appointment.
The time period between first and second dose vaccinations is being extended up to four months — allowing more Manitobans to receive their first-dose immunization sooner.
A "vaccination calculator" lets Manitobans see where they are in the vaccine priority line, based on their age, vaccine uptake and other factors. Click here to access the calculator to see your place in the vaccine line.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The provincial government has announced plans to revitalize the Dauphin Court House and repurpose the Dauphin jail.
An $11-million tender for the renovation and expansion of the historic Dauphin Court House has been awarded to Bockstael Construction.
Justice Minister Cameron Friesen says “this project is making critical enhancements and upgrades, and will ensure the facility is secure and effective for many years to come.”
A provincial release states the more than 100-year-old courthouse no longer meets current building codes and programming requirements.
The revitalization of the site will include:
• enhanced courthouse security, including more holdings cells, to keep the public and court staff safe while improving the efficiency of court proceedings
• improved interior and exterior accessibility including accessible washrooms and more accessible public, court and administrative spaces
• improved video-conferencing and meeting spaces for lawyers and their clients
• new administrative and office spaces for court staff, sheriff services and the judiciary
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Health officials announced 54 new cases of COVID-19 today and one more death.
One of the new cases has been identified as a variant of concern, the B.1.351 variant first reported in South Africa.
Today’s new COVID-19 cases are in the following health regions:
• two cases in Interlake–Eastern health region
• 33 cases in the Northern health region
• one case in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• four cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region
• 14 cases in the Winnipeg health region
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is three percent provincially and 2.4 percent in Winnipeg.
There has been a total of 32,104 cases province-wide and 904 deaths.
There are 1,133 active cases and 30,067 people who have recovered from COVID-19.
There are 55 people in hospital with active COVID-19 and 116 people in hospital who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 171 hospitalizations.
Nine people are in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 15 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 24 ICU patients.
According to the province’s data, there are active cases of COVID-19 in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (0), Riding Mountain (0), Duck Mountain (2), Porcupine Mountain (2) and Asessippi (4). Brandon has 2 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 2 active cases, while Fisher/Peguis has 4.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba officials have provided an update on the plan to begin widespread first-dose immunizations for First Nations communities in the province.
On Friday, Dr. Joss Reimer was joined for the announcement alongside Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead of the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response Coordination Team.
Dr. Anderson says First Nations communities at risk of flooding, fire, or losing winter road access will be prioritized first to help ensure those affected by spring or summer emergencies do not have those issues compounded by the pandemic.
“We know First Nations people in Manitoba are more at risk of COVID-19 and at younger ages. In addition, many of these communities may face evacuation due to fires and floods or have geographical issues that make it hard to get there,” said Anderson. “It’s important to get needles into arms as soon as possible and detailed planning is now underway to schedule vaccinations in these communities.”
It is expected that all eligible, consenting adults who live in these prioritized First Nations communities will have received their first dose by mid-May.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Canada has approved its fourth COVID-19 vaccine.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was approved by Health Canada today; it’s the countries only COVID vaccine that promises 85% protection from severe illness with a single dose.
The newly approved vaccine has less strict storage requirements than some of its competitors, requiring refrigeration rather than ultra-cold freezing.
Canada has secured 10 million shots of the vaccine and has plans to order up to 28 million more.
The first doses are expected to arrive in September.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba has relaxed more public health restrictions as of 12:01 a.m. this morning.
Nearly all Manitoba businesses are now clear to open — but indoor theatres, concert halls, casinos and bingo halls will still have to remain closed for now.
Under the new orders, Manitoba households have the option of continuing to designate two visitors to their home, or choosing to designate a second household who can visit with each other.
Starting today, capacity limits are being increased at restaurants, retail stores, malls and personal services to 50% or 250 people, whichever is lower. Restaurants in Manitoba must continue enforcing the one-household per table rule under the updated orders.
Places of worship can increase their capacity limit to 25% or 100 people, whichever is lower.
Gatherings sizes at outdoor places will be increased to 10.
Businesses other than casinos may resume operating video lottery terminals (VLTs) with physical distancing and barriers in place.
Recreation & Fitness Facilities
The province is also relaxing some of the rules for recreation and fitness facilities.
Indoor recreation and sporting facilities such as pools, fitness centres, rinks, courts and ranges can open at 25% total capacity.
But with the relaxed restrictions, not all recreation facilities in the province are ready to open right away. Dauphin Rec Services say they’re working on a plan to reschedule postponed fall swimming lessons as they slowly re-open the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre.
Dauphin Rec is keeping the ice in at Credit Union Place. Provincial rules currently allow teams to run practices and drills, but organized games are not allowed at this time.
Ice sessions are open for booking but the number of available slots is limited.
The Town of Swan River reported yesterday that opening their recreation facilities “is not practical at this time” with the strenuous reopening requirements and extra costs associated with the new provincial guidelines.
The Town’s CAO Derek Poole thanked residents for their patience and understanding as they begin working through the process of making facilities available to the public.
The entire province remains under code red under the new public health orders.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The man considered Canada’s ultimate hockey dad has died.
Walter Gretzky was 82.
His son, the Great One, announced his father’s passing late last night in a post on Twitter.
— Wayne Gretzky (@WayneGretzky) March 5, 2021
In the online tribute, Wayne says his father “truly was the Great One and the proudest Canadian we know”.
Walter Gretzky battled Parkinson’s and other health issues in recent years.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Parkland remains under a fog advisory on Friday morning.
Environment Canada says the near-zero visibility is occurring over some areas.
They say the combination of clear skies, light winds and melting snow create ideal conditions for fog development.
Conditions in most areas are expected to improve later this morning, but the reduced visibility could continue into the early afternoon.
Officials are urging those in the affected areas to drive according to the conditions, and use a safe following distance.
Along with the reduced visibility, slick and slippery roads are also being reported in some areas.
Widespread fog is not expected again Friday night due to strengthening southerly winds across the eastern prairies.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Dauphin Fire Department (DFD) spent 11 hours on the scene of yesterday's house fire to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished.
Crews first responded to the scene around 6 a.m. Thursday morning.
The fire was across the street from the DRCSS at Mountain Road and Kerr Avenue, which led to Mountain View School Division to close the school and move classes online due to smoke accumulation in the building.
The Dauphin high school will reopen today for regular classes after a notice sent out by the Division states the air quality has returned to normal in the school.
Fire crews on the scene this morning shortly after 6 a.m.
The DFD says the home was vacant at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.
The cause is still under investigation.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
For the second day in a row, Manitoba has reported 51 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths.
The two deaths include a woman in her 90’s from Winnipeg and a woman in her 20’s from Winnipeg. Health officials have not confirmed whether or not the 20-year-old woman had any underlying health issues.
Today’s new COVID-19 cases are in the following health regions:
• zero cases in Interlake–Eastern health region
• 26 cases in the Northern health region
• zero cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• three cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region
• 22 cases in the Winnipeg health region
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 3.2 percent provincially and 2.6 percent in Winnipeg.
There have been a total of 32,051 cases province-wide. The total number of deaths is 903.
There are 1,143 active cases and 30,005 people who have recovered from COVID-19.
There are 62 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 119 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 181 hospitalizations.
Nine people are in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 15 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 24 ICU patients.
According to the province’s data, there are active cases of COVID-19 in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (0), Riding Mountain (0), Duck Mountain (2), Porcupine Mountain (2) and Asessippi (4). Brandon has 1 active case.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 2 active cases, while Fisher/Peguis has 7.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Reports from community members in Winnipegosis say demolition work has begun on the Winnipegosis grain elevator.
Photos shared on social media on Thursday morning show crews and heavy equipment on the site.
President of the Manitoba Historical Society Dr. Gordon Goldsborough told CKDM late last year there are about 130 grain elevators left in the province, down from over 700 that used to be standing in Manitoba.
The Winnipegosis grain elevator is privately owned, and municipal staff were unable to confirm any details about the demolition.
Photo courtesy of the Manitoba Historical Society
The elevator was built in 1950.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
