'Remarkable public health success': Officials highlight data on the vaccine and positive impacts on Manitoba’s BIPOC community

WINNIPEG -

Manitoba health officials provided an update on Monday about COVID-19 and the vaccine and their impacts on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) community.

Dr. Marcia Anderson, the public health lead of the First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team, said in the most recent wave of the virus in the fall, there was a significant shift in the people who were testing positive for COVID-19, as well as being hospitalized.

She said when accessibility and eligibility were available to the BIPOC community, it meant they were vaccinated and officials found that vaccine uptake was higher among the BIPOC community, compared to white people.

"This significantly shifted case and hospitalization demographics, with white people being overrepresented and BIPOC folks making up less than half the proportion of hospitalizations they did in the previous wave," said Anderson. "This is a remarkable public health success that occurred in collaboration with members, leaders in BIPOC communities."

Anderson noted the vaccines made a significant impact on hospitalizations and that during the fall wave 95 per cent of people who identified as BIPOC were never hospitalized.

Data also found that on Dec. 10, 2021, only 22 per cent of ICU COVID cases were BIPOC and 25 per cent were non-ICU hospitalizations. This is compared to 78 per cent and 75 per cent of the white population respectively.

Anderson said this was a massive shift compared to the previous wave when BIPOC people accounted for more than 60 per cent of hospitalizations.

Case counts also dropped significantly among the BIPOC community once the second dose was administered, with peaks happening in late June and early August.

"What we see is a lower proportion of cases occurring among BIPOC communities. It's important to understand that nothing else has changed. There is still systemic racism, there is still overcrowded housing, there is still higher rates of being in low income or higher-risk occupations and yet we see a dramatic difference in the proportion of cases occurring in these communities."

Despite the positive steps being taken to help the BIPOC community, Anderson said numbers are starting to change slightly during the Omicron wave and BIPOC people are making up large proportions in cases and hospitals.

"This reinforces the need for us to apply the same accessibility lenses to third doses as well as new treatments."

Anderson said the data shows the vaccine has worked in helping lessen the spread of COVID-19 and she continues to urge people to get vaccinated.