The number of Manitoba First Nations with active COVID-19 cases has nearly doubled since December while the Omicron variant causes a surge of infections across the province.
As thousands of Manitobans have booked appointments for children between ages five and 11 to get their first COVID-19 shot, the medical lead of the vaccine implementation task force provided more details on what to expect in the coming days and weeks.
Editorial
More than half of eligible Manitobans are now double-dosed. While the COVID-19 vaccination rates are cause for celebration, the way we got here is not.
More than half of eligible Manitobans are now double-dosed. While the COVID-19 vaccination rates are cause for celebration, the way we got here is not.
Manitoba’s vaccine task force appears to have failed to account for race-based risk factors when determining vaccination eligibility, likely leading to higher hospitalizations and worse outcomes for residents who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour, according to data released last week.
During the third wave of the pandemic, intensive-care admission rates were more than four times higher for BIPOC communities than for white residents. Racialized patients were also 10 years younger, on average, than their white counterparts and many were not yet eligible for a vaccine an indication of the shortcomings of a rollout based on age alone.