Who is eligible for a medical exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine in Manitoba
Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force has specified who is eligible for a temporary or permanent medical exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Medical Lead Dr. Joss Reimer made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday.
“As I’ve said before, the vast majority of eligible Manitobans can and should be immunized to protect themselves and the people around them,” Dr. Reimer said. “However, we did recognize that we needed a process for this small group of people who have a significant and legitimate medical reason for being exempt from getting the vaccine.”
Reimer said exemptions are available to Manitobans in three scenarios; those who have had a severe reaction after the first dose of the vaccine, such as myocarditis or Guillain-Barré syndrome; those who are currently receiving treatment that affects their ability to mount an immune defense; and those who had a severe allergy or anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose that cannot be managed by the Health Sciences Centre Allergy Clinic.
Reimer said these exemptions are intentionally aimed at a small group of people.
“I do want to be very clear that the process is not a note from your doctor,” Dr. Reimer said.
Reimer said those who think they are eligible for a medical exemption should first contact their primary health care provider to discuss their condition and to determine whether they should be submitted to a clinical specialist for review.
“Most people who would be eligible for an exemption, which may be temporary, will already have an ongoing relationship with a specialist physician, but some of those cases that I listed may require a referral,” Dr. Reimer said.
Each case must also be submitted to the Vaccine Implementation Task Force.
Reimer said the task force is also developing a way to ensure those with a valid medical exemption have something available to them that is equivalent to the vaccination card. This is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.