Manitoba to start booking appointments for kids COVID-19 vaccine beginning July 25

The Manitoba government is expanding the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to kids between the ages of six months and four years old.

The province made the announcement Wednesday saying vaccine supplies will be limited with 14,900 doses to start and therefore kids with specific health conditions are being prioritized.

The conditions include:

• Chronic lung disease;

• Airway abnormalities;

• Congenital or chronic heart or circulatory disease;

• Moderately to severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or treatment;

• Neurologic disorders; and

• Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or any chronic disease related to premature birth.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said the vaccine will also be available for all First Nations, Inuit or Metis children no matter where they live.

Roussin added the vaccine will be a two-dose series and it is recommended kids get them eight weeks apart.

"This vaccine has a very safe profile and is effective. It is a smaller dose due to the age of this cohort, but still provides that strong immune response," said Roussin.

Appointments can be booked starting July 25.

Roussin said for the first round, vaccines will be administered at medical and public health clinics, and once more vaccines become available the province will develop plans to have appointments at pharmacies or pop-up clinics.

The province expects eligibility to expand once more vaccines come to the province, with a second shipment expected to come in late July or early August.

The vaccine will be Moderna, which was recently approved by Health Canada.

To date, 43 per cent of kids aged five to 11 have been fully immunized and nearly 80 per cent between the ages of 12 and 17 have at least two doses of the vaccine.