WINNIPEG -- The province says AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine doses have arrived in Manitoba and are being shipped to pharmacies and clinics this week.
During a vaccine tech briefing on Wednesday, the province said it received 18,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine on Tuesday.
"We have to recognize that the vaccine supplies are still very limited," said Dr. Joss Reimer, the medical lead of Manitoba's Vaccine Implementation Task Force.
"We are treating each vaccine as a life-saving intervention."
The province released its guidelines on Wednesday, outlining two priority groups that will be eligible to receive the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine doses in Manitoba.
READ MORE: The two priority groups for the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine in Manitoba
The additional vaccine doses in Manitoba has moved up the province's vaccine rollout timeline by about two weeks – with projections estimating Manitobans who want the vaccine will have the chance to get the shot by mid-June under a low-supply scenario.
The high-supply scenario is mostly unchanged, still estimating Manitobans will have the chance to be vaccinated by mid-May.
The province said this new vaccine will be administered by pharmacies and medical clinics. The province said so far, 176 medical clinics and 181 pharmacies have been approved to administer the vaccine. Other sites are expected to be approved as well.
The 18,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Covishield are being allocated to Manitoba regions based on population.
Johanu Botha, the co-lead of Manitoba's Vaccine Implementation Task Force, said the distribution of the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine will be more complex, as each clinic and pharmacy will be using its own booking system to set up vaccination appointments – meaning people will book an appointment through the clinic or pharmacy rather than through the province.
"This allows our partners the flexibility of their own system, but also Manitobans accessing this vaccine by going directly through their doctors or to their pharmacies," Botha said.
"But of course, Manitobans need to know which clinics and pharmacies are taking appointments."
To help with this, Botha said the province will be releasing a map showing all pharmacies and clinics in Manitoba that have been allocated vaccine doses.
If these clinics and pharmacies are accepting appointments, they will appear green on the map. If not, they will appear red.
"We expect that clinics will likely be red close to the start as they will be able to identify whom of their patients meet the eligibility criteria probably fairly quickly," he said.
He asked Manitobans not to call if the clinics and pharmacies are red on the map.
Botha said this is a pilot release, and said the province will adjust as the rollout continues.
The province said the doses will begin being shipped to clinics and pharmacies tomorrow. Botha said each clinic is set to receive between 50 and 200 doses of the vaccine. He said the clinics and pharmacies will also receive syringes and other supplies from the province.
This is a developing story. More to come.
