North Dakota administered thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Manitoba truck drivers
More than 2,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to Manitoba truck drivers in North Dakota.
On Wednesday, Premier Brian Pallister and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announced the milestone, saying their partnership is extended into July.
“That successful partnership with North Dakota is going to be extended right through July, and we encourage others who might be in the trucking business to use that opportunity to get that shot if you haven’t gotten it yet,” Pallister said at a news conference.
In April, the two governments announced the Essential Worker Cross-Border Vaccination Initiative, which allows for Manitoba-based truck drivers, who are transporting goods between Canada and the United States, to schedule vaccine appointments in North Dakota on their routine trips.
The first clinic opened on April 21, and since then, 2,523 doses have been administered through the program. This includes 1,719 first doses and 804 second doses.
Manitoba and North Dakota established a joint operations group to manage the initiative, with the North Dakota Department of Health providing nurses and staff members to give the vaccines.
This initiative comes at no cost to the state or the province, as the U.S. government provides the vaccines and reimburses the costs to administer the doses.
“The success of this first-of-its-kind program between North Dakota and Manitoba is a testament to our strong commitment to protecting public health and providing safe, effective vaccines to those essential workers who transport goods and services across our border,” Burgum said in a news release.
“By extending the program through July, we can continue to protect the health of our citizens and our economies as we move closer to the reopening of our shared border.”
One of the North Dakota clinics that has been extended into July is the Drayton pop-up clinic, located on the I-29 near Drayton. There will also be a weekend pop-up site throughout July at the GasTrak off the I-29 in Pembina, N.D.
The Drayton clinic will be open Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the GasTrak clinic will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
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.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
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.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.