Manitoba asked for help even as it dropped vaccine pass
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2022 (1481 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA — As it prepared to remove Manitoba’s vaccination pass, the provincial government quietly pleaded for more help from the federal government to shore up its overloaded health system.
Winnipeg doctors were stunned late Tuesday afternoon by a tweet announcing the Canadian Red Cross was again deploying workers to Manitoba, “in response to a request for federal assistance… to help manage COVID-19 outbreaks in the province.”
The message, from Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, took place the same day Manitoba dropped vaccination requirements for non-essential businesses and gatherings.
Blair’s office said Manitoba asked for the extra help on Feb. 24, to extend the deployment that started with 10 health-care workers, which was eventually lowered to five.
Three of those staff, all nurses, will stay at the Health Sciences Centre for two more weeks.
“The support will run until March 14, and help fulfil short-term, urgent needs and address staffing shortages,” wrote Blair’s spokeswoman, Annie Cullinan.
The Manitoba government had not publicly revealed it had sought more help.
“This is simply a request for continued support of human health resources to augment Manitoba’s COVID-19 response,” wrote a provincial spokeswoman.
“While Manitoba’s COVID-19 case counts and hospitalization numbers continue to trend downwards, Manitoba’s ICU and acute-care centres continue to be a few weeks behind those trends.”
Winnipeg virologist Julie Lajoie questioned why the province plans to remove its mask mandate on March 15 while telling Ottawa it needs outside help.
This marks the eighth time Ottawa has responded to a request for assistance from Manitoba related to COVID-19, including with immunization campaigns.
dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca