WINNIPEG -- There are more than 56,000 Manitobans 80 years old or older according to a provincial report on population from 2019.

Using that information CTV News estimates as of Friday a little more than half of Manitobans in that age group have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

At last check, there are 712 First Nations people 80+ and 31,158 Manitobans in the same age group who have received their first dose – or 56.7% of that age cohort.

That means, at this snapshot in time there are still about 24,200 people in the province 80 and older who have not yet been vaccinated.

Dr. Jazz Atwal said every day that statistic will improve, and as more vaccine is available closer to people's homes uptake will get better.

“The numbers look good, they aren't bad,” he said. “It’s not unexpected, but obviously we want to see those numbers higher. But we are still early on since we opened this up to the public so I think we have to give it some more time to look at that vaccine uptake."

All day long Friday, a long line wrapped around the RBC Convention Centre, filled with people with an appointment to get a covid-19 vaccine.

This is one example why Michelle Porter from The Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba thinks vaccine supersites may seem too daunting for older people.

“You might have to be standing out in the cold, if you’re inside just standing for some people is not something they can handle,” she said.

Porter said there are many reasons why people in this age group may be waiting to be vaccinated.

“It might be just waiting until it’s at a place where they feel more comfortable with and it's familiar to them," she explained, like at their family doctors’ office or their local pharmacy.

She does not suspect, however, that vaccine hesitancy is an issue.

"I would imagine most people in this age bracket, they want to get the vaccine, it just might not be right for them for a number of logistical issues in particular."

At the moment, there are five vaccination supersites in Manitoba that may require travel to a large venue like the RBC Convention Centre.

She suggests getting people living in congregate living settings done ASAP, as well as folks who rarely leave home and receive home care services.