Immunization card concerns: What happens if you aren’t eligible to get one?
New provincial COVID-19 immunization cards could open the doors to a life with fewer restrictions but, for those who are not eligible, there is potential for discrimination, according to one international student.
Concerns surrounding what documents will be accepted as proof of vaccination are front and centre for Callum Morrison, a graduate student from the University of Manitoba and a Scot by nationality.
Under current distribution plans the provincial government will only give out immunization cards to people with a valid Manitoba health card, two weeks after a person receives their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Morrison, who has lived in Manitoba since 2017, has been vaccinated but because he doesn’t have a Manitoba health card he can’t get an immunization card.
“Just issue the cards to other people,” said Morrison. “I don’t see why it could be so difficult. Almost every single person in the province already has ID issued from the government in some form.”
In response to Morrison’s concerns, the provincial government said if someone is not eligible for a Manitoba health card/immunization card they can contact their local public health office and they can provide a copy of a person’s immunization record.
“They say these two things are going to be seen as equal, but we’re going to have this problem where 99 per cent of people in Manitoba are going to have a card, and then whatever percentage is the remainder who don’t have access to this card will be using something else,” said Morrison.
IMMUNIZATION CARD INCENTIVES
When the Manitoba government unveiled plans for residents to prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 it came with some incentives.
People will not have to self-isolate after interprovincial travel or if deemed a close contact to a COVID-19 positive individual by public health officials.
They also get visitation rights to family members in hospitals, care homes and other health care facilities.
Morrison is concerned about not being able to enjoy those same privileges.
“If everyone in Manitoba knows someone who is already familiar with this card and someone else shows up with a record that doesn’t have the QR code on it, all this sort of stuff, they’re going to think I just typed this up at home,” said Morrison.
During a media briefing on Tuesday Premier Brian Pallister said the cards could be used for other things like going to provincially owned facilities. He also mentioned talks have happened with other provinces about using them across the country as proof of vaccination.
The cards will come in both digital and physical formats, with the digital copy available automatically after signing up online. A physical copy can be requested after registration is complete.
For someone like Morrison, who will have to get an immunization record, the process is more involved and could pose barriers to some people.
“It’s just not automatic and it’s still a hassle,” said Morrison. “Even if they are recognized by the government as the same, is the average citizen going to look at them and go ‘They’re the same?’"
With file from CTVs Dervon McKendrick
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.