Manitoba’s fall vaccination campaign features the slogan “one visit, two shots” despite many pharmacies waiting for their supply of COVID-19 shots.
One day after Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced the slogan for this year’s flu and COVID-19 campaign, Winnipeggers discovered not all pharmacies have received their COVID-19 stock.
Janis Arnold said she had tried a pharmacy at a Safeway store this week and the best they could tell her is they hope to get that vaccine by next week.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin held a news conference Wednesday to encourage Manitobans to roll up their sleeves.
Arnold wants to get the vaccine this week because she has hip surgery next week. She said she can understand it takes time to ship vaccines to pharmacies and clinics across the province.
“I hope people understand it is going to take time,” she said on Thursday. “Don’t lose faith that you can’t get it. It will be there shortly.
“I hope Manitobans step up this year. I’m keeping a low profile now because if I get sick, I would be bumped off the (surgery) list.”
Asagwara, along with chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, held a news conference Wednesday to encourage Manitobans to roll up their sleeves once to get two shots — one for the flu, the second for COVID.
They hope to increase vaccine uptake this year. Last year, about 25 per cent of Manitobans got jabbed with the flu shot, while only about 19 per cent received the latest COVID vaccine.
A provincial news release said the vaccines would be available at medical clinics, ACCESS centres, vaccine clinics, pharmacies, nursing stations and through public health offices.
People who wanted to book the two vaccines at pharmacies were told the supply wasn’t available yet.
The Free Press phoned a few smaller independent pharmacies, most whose pharmacists didn’t want to be identified, but all said they still hadn’t received COVID-19 vaccines.
Each pharmacist said it’s why they are scheduling appointments as of next week.
“We don’t want to have to phone and reschedule people,” said Ryan Chan, who owns both the Exchange District Pharmacy and Green Coast Pharmacy.
“We want to be efficient. It would have been nice to have everything in place because when the province announces it, we get slammed with phone calls and it takes us away from other work to tell people we don’t have it yet.”
Chan said the province has said he can expect 200 doses this week.
A provincial spokesperson said that as of Wednesday, it had been able to get 130,000 vaccine doses to more than 500 locations. Additional doses are shipped daily.
The spokesperson said care homes, hospitals, and Indigenous communities are the first priority for vaccine delivery. Then, 300 other locations, including pharmacies, medical clinics and public health offices, are next in line..
“It is widely available,” the spokesperson said.
Manitobans are encouraged to use the online vaccine provider to check availability (wfp.to/vaccines).
Doctors Manitoba spokesman Keir Johnson said the province cannot be blamed for gaps in availability. “To be fair, the province is at the mercy of when the vaccine arrives in Manitoba.”
Johnson said clinics have reported that patients have inquired about the vaccine, but the clinics haven’t received any yet.
“Physicians want to prevent severe illness and death from COVID and flu this year through vaccination, so the calls from patients are certainly welcome, but the timing of the announcement perhaps should have followed delivery to more locations,” he said.
As for a pharmacy that does have both flu and COVID-19 vaccines on hand, Brent Squires, a pharmacist at the Shoppers Drug Mart in Osborne Village, said they have been extremely busy.
“We got the (COVID) vaccines earlier this week,” said Squires. “We have Moderna now and we’re getting Pfizer a week from now.
“We’ve already got a wave of people here,” he said.
The pharmacy runs its vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
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