Residents and staff of First Nations personal care homes in Manitoba to get third COVID-19 vaccine dose
Residents and staff of First Nation personal care homes in Manitoba are now eligible for a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The province announced the news Monday morning, adding that the eligibility will expand in October to residents of all personal care homes throughout Manitoba.
"We will be working with these facilities and our regional health authorities in the coming weeks to put the necessary plans in place," said Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the Vaccine Implementation Task Force, at a virtual news conference.
Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead for the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response Coordination Team, said this earlier expansion is needed for residents and staff of First Nation personal care homes due to barriers and systemic barriers experienced by First Nations communities.
Anderson noted there was a recent outbreak at a care centre in Sagkeeng First Nation, which resulted in 37 COVID-19 cases among people who, for the most part, were vaccinated. Three people were hospitalized and two died as a result of this outbreak.
"We have to consider our local data that highlights the unique context of First Nations communities, as well as the rapidly evolving evidence," she said.
"This will help to protect our most vulnerable people and contribute to the maintenance of safe staffing levels as we enter the fourth wave."
Anderson noted that Monday's third dose expansion includes about 200 residents and 400 staff at 10 First Nation personal care homes in Manitoba.
THE THIRD DOSE SITUATIONS
Last week, third dose eligibility was announced for immunocompromised Manitobans, those who require a third dose for travel, or those who previously received doses of vaccines not approved by Health Canada.
According to Reimer, there have been studies showing lower levels of antibodies in those who are immunocompromised even after two doses of the vaccine. She added that immunocompromised people are also overrepresented in breakthrough cases, and in particular, breakthrough hospitalizations.
"The good news is that the studies also show that many of these same groups had a much better immune response after three doses," Reimer said.
For residents of personal care homes, the situation is different.
Reimer said the initial data shows excellent protection from the vaccine for this group of people. She added that the immune response in the elderly may be somewhat weaker than in younger populations but is still high enough to be "very protective."
"In a normal immune system, after infection or vaccination, the first major marker of immune response is the development of antibodies," Reimer explained, saying antibodies prevent infection from occurring in the first place but are only part of the overall immune system response.
Reimer went on to say two other parts of the immune response are memory B-cells, which are responsible for making future antibodies, and T-cells, which find and get rid of infected cells after a virus enters the body. These take longer to develop but last longer than antibodies.
"For most people, this means that antibodies will decrease over time, but protection against infection, and even more so, protection against severe disease is handled by B-cells and T-cells going forward," she said.
Since it has been eight months since the province began administering vaccines in personal care homes, it is expected that residents may have lower levels of antibodies. However, the B-cells and T-cells are still providing protection and preventing severe disease.
"If we were not still in the midst of a global pandemic, perhaps we would be comfortable to depend on this cellular immunity," Reimer said.
"Unfortunately, there is still a lot of the virus circulating in Canada and around the world. So even a normal decrease in antibodies in a group that already had a somewhat weaker immune response could translate into more infections and more severe outcomes.
The province is not currently seeing increased rates of infection or severe disease in the general personal care home population. However, data shows that this is a possible risk.
Reimer added there is no clear evidence of waning immunity for the general population.
"Most of the data has been showing that for young, healthy people, there is actually zero benefit of getting a third dose at this time," she said, noting that this could change over time.
More information on third doses can be found online.
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.