Manitoba’s vaccine mandates likely to stay in place until next year: Roussin
The province is reminding people to keep their proof of COVID-19 vaccination cards handy, as vaccine mandates will be sticking around in Manitoba until next year.
During a media briefing on Monday, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said current vaccine mandates will likely stay in effect into the new year.
“Given the state of our health-care system and the demands that respiratory virus season will be likely to put on it, it’s very likely we’ll have to take us through this winter,” said Dr. Roussin.
Currently, Manitobans need to show proof of vaccination for entrance into certain public places, such as gyms, sporting events, concerts, and restaurants. In addition, there are vaccine requirements for employees in certain sectors like health-care and education.
With a third COVID-19 booster shot now being recommended for some Manitobans, the province said not having one won’t affect an individual’s ability to get a vaccine card.
Roussin said there are no immediate plans to make third vaccine doses a requirement to get a vaccination card.
If it were, it would take an unvaccinated person about seven months to be eligible to receive a vaccine card because the third dose is only recommended six months after an individual’s second dose.
Right now, it is only a recommendation for a select portion of the population, including health-care workers, personal care home residents, and First Nations people living on reserve.
“In all of the eligible people now for a third dose, it’s a recommendation to them providing the reasons why," he said, adding it's not impacting their current status as fully vaccinated.
Roussin said following several large events in Winnipeg, including several NHL and CFL games, health officials have not been able to tie any transmission to those events but noted there’s some complexity in linking cases to the events.
“With our relatively low numbers in Winnipeg we would be able to pick up on trends if people were cooperative with the contact tracing,” said Roussin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.