WINNIPEG -- For the second consecutive day, Manitoba has lowered the age limit for people to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine, and the premier said the age eligibility will lower again on Wednesday so every adult in the province is eligible to book an appointment.
On Tuesday, the province announced people 24 years of age and older can now book their appointments at a vaccine supersite or a pop-up clinic. This is a drop from Monday, when people 30 and older were allowed to book their appointments.
During Question Period on Tuesday afternoon, Premier Brian Pallister said the province will drop the eligibility to 18 years of age and older on Wednesday.
“We need to get Manitobans vaccinated, and we are, and thank you to our vaccination team for getting us to 24-plus today and-18 plus tomorrow,” Pallister said.
Indigenous Manitobans 18 and older have been able to book their appointments at supersites or pop-up clinics since last week.
Last week, Manitoba’s vaccine task force said Manitoba plans to have children aged 12-15 be able to book an appointment to receive the Pfizer vaccine by May 21.
The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for people 12-15 in Canada.
AstraZeneca vaccine appointments remain available at Manitoba pharmacies for people 40 years of age and older, and people between the ages of 30 and 39 with certain health conditions, such as diabetes or liver disease.
The province says 45.4 per cent of Manitobans ages 18 and older have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the campaign started in December 2020.
As of May 11, 576,024 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Manitoba.
Appointments can be booked online or by calling 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC).
