Manitoba vaccine update: delivery timeline, supersites, potential new deal

WINNIPEG – For weeks, vaccine supply disruptions have forced Manitoba’s vaccine task force to juggle plans. But Wednesday there was hope things would change in a lasting way.

When it comes to the number of doses expected by Moderna, Manitoba’s vaccine delivery still isn’t caught up. And there’s no outlook into March.

This month, the province is getting 1,800 fewer doses than expected.

The province had originally expected 81,900 Pfizer doses but health officials confirmed in an update Wednesday that Manitoba will only be getting 74,880 for a net loss of 7,120 doses.

While not ideal, Dr. Joss Reimer expects the delays in delivery should soon be a thing of the past.

“It certainly seems that we’ve passed this hump and the supply should be increasing as we go forward,” Reimer said.

And it was forward that the task force was looking as it will wrap up personal care home vaccinations by the end of this month, with congregant settings next on the list.

“There are nearly 23,000 Manitobans in congregant facilities. This can include assisted living group homes, correctional facilities, and elderly person homes.”

Reimer says age will be the most important factor when determining which of these facilities will be visited first.

And starting next week, all Manitobans over the age of 95 will be eligible for vaccinations.

“Am I optimistic about the supply increasing and the stability? Absolutely,” said Reimer.

Meanwhile, two new super vaccination sites are slated to open in Selkirk for the Interlake and Morden/Winkler for the south in the first week of March.

“These sites were chosen for a number of reasons including geography and population density, as well as a number of logistical criteria,” said Johanu Botha, co-lead on the Vaccine Implementation Task Force.

Premier Brian Pallister addressed the province’s potential vaccine deal with a therapeutics company out of Calgary on Wednesday, providing hard details on what could be a $36-million deal securing the province two million doses at a preliminary price of $18 a shot.

“We pay a down payment [of 20 per cent] after the contract is signed and not before… that assists the company to move forward. Then we pay 40 per cent on approval for Health Canada and then 40 per cent on delivery of the doses,” explained Pallister.

While the premier expressed confidence in the ability of Providence to bring a vaccine to market, the company is still months away from being able to do so. And he admits this deal is somewhat of a calculated gamble to help ensure domestic capacity in the months ahead.

“This is not without risk and I would not underplay the reality that we are putting capital at risk here,” he said.

“But there’s risk in not doing that and there’s a price to pay in not doing that and that’s in getting vaccines to Canadians.”