Premier Brian Pallister announced on Thursday, December 3, 2020, that Manitoba will be ready to launch a co-ordinated and effective vaccination campaign once the province gets its initial supply of vaccine. He also noted that there will be an expansion of rapid testing.
The premiers said that Manitoba has acquired all of the supplies needed to safely administer two doses of the vaccine to every Manitoban. Freezers capable of reaching extremely low temperatures have been ordered with the first already installed and another four on the way. These freezers can hold about one million doses of the vaccine. 20 portable ultra-clod freezers have also been ordered.
“Quite simply, we want Manitobans to know that when the COVID-19 vaccine arrives, we will be ready,” said Pallister. “Our team of hundreds of dedicated Manitobans has been planning and preparing for months, for a vaccination campaign that will be unlike anything else this province has ever seen. We are assembling the necessary people, equipment and other resources to we can rapidly stand up a large-scale, ‘super site’ vaccine campaign, as soon as the vaccine is delivered.”
Details on the ‘super site’ campaign have not been released.
The federal government is expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine within the next several days with the Moderna vaccine being approved soon afterwards if all goes well
The premier noted that over time all Manitobans who want the vaccine will be able to get it but it will not be mandatory.
“In the meantime, we must continue to follow the public health advice of our public health experts, focus on the fundamentals and stay home,” said Pallister. “Together, we will save lives.”
A new dedicated COVID-19 rapid testing service for teachers in Winnipeg will be launched in January. Details have yet to be shared but the province says they expect more information about the program in the near future.
The province has purchased $40 million worth of Songbird Hyris Tests with are expected to deliver 45,000 tests per month.
The 20 more units of the Abbott ID NOW rapid test equipment has been deployed across the province in addition to the 13 units already in use. The following communities will soon have them in use:
- Southern Health–Santé Sud – Steinbach (two units), Boundary Trails (two), Portage la Prairie (two) and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes (one);
- Interlake–Eastern Regional Health Authority – Selkirk (two), Stonewall (one), Pine Falls (one), Gimli (one) and Ashern (one);
- Prairie Mountain Health – Dauphin (two), Neepawa (one), Virden (one), Killarney (one) and Russell (one); and
- Northern Regional Health Authority – Thompson/The Pas (one).
The Abbot ID NOW tests will allow health-care providers an early screen tool to help identify possible outbreaks as early as possible.
© News4.ca 2020
