Only 74% of Manitobans will likely be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of 2021, according to a document released by the Manitoba government this week.
“Manitoba’s Immunization Rollout Plan” also projects 53% of adults would likely receive both doses by the end of September.
The Pallister government says these numbers point to a failure by the federal government to meet its targets on acquiring enough doses.
Here in Manitoba, just one immunization clinic is in operation, located at Winnipeg’s RBC convention centre. Another site is expected to open at Brandon’s Keystone Centre by January 18.
As of Thursday afternoon, the province reports 6,026 Manitobans have received the first dose of the vaccine since the campaign began — including 255 priority healthcare workers from Prairie Mountain Health.
That works out to less than half of one percent of the population having received a dose of the vaccine at this time.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses of the vaccine about a month apart to provide optimal protection against the virus.
To date, Manitoba has received a total of 22,230 doses of the Pfizer vaccine — 7,000 of which were delivered earlier this week.
The province has received 7,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 5,300 have been allocated for First Nation immunization priorities.
The remaining Moderna vaccine doses will be used to support the immunization campaign at personal care homes, which pledges to offer the first dose to all Manitoba care home residents in a 28-day campaign.
