Manitoba auditor credits public servants for effective COVID-vaccine rollout

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/04/2023 (912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba effectively managed the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, but the pandemic exposed gaps in its preparedness for a large-scale health emergency, the auditor general has found.

They include a lack of clear roles and responsibilities between and within Manitoba Health, Shared Health, regional authorities and organizations involved in the rollout, said Tyson Shtykalo.

He urged the province to address the gaps and adopt better tools or practices to be more prepared for the next health crisis.

“While we found that the province effectively managed the rollout, we did find that the success was largely due to (public servants) and service providers,” Shtykalo told the Free Press Wednesday.

Shtykalo made three recommendations after the audit of immunization service delivery and vaccine inventory management.

He wants Manitoba Health to modernize its collection of consent and immunization data, and ensure controls to maintain the integrity of vaccines are performed as expected.

Shtykalo also suggested the government identify lessons to be learned and apply best practices for normal operations and emergency planning.

This would mean having clearly defined roles and responsibilities, testing worst-care scenario response plans on a government-wide basis and having a stockpile of masks, gowns and other emergency supplies, the report stated.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon said the government will look at making necessary improvements.

Shtykalo’s audit, which covered the period between Nov. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022, found the province appropriately administered doses and managed the vaccine inventory.

Both Shtykalo and Gordon hailed staff for working long hours — up to seven days a week at peak times.

Shtykalo noted his office did not audit the government’s governance of, nor its preparedness for, the rollout.

The first shots were given in December 2020. About 3.4 million doses had been administered as of March 6, 2023, the report stated.

Shtykalo’s audit found the centralized task force model was not planned for, or tested, in advance of a potential pandemic.

He was told planning for pandemic-scale immunization was confined to the health-care system.

Interviews with staff revealed the vaccine rollout was “too top down,” with a fairly confusing structure and little room for suggestions on how to improve things based on local expertise or knowledge.

Shtykalo raised concerns about system limitations in which paper forms were used to obtain vaccine consent and data from patients.

He said a more robust electronic system would be faster, reduce the risk of errors and ease the burden of administrative work.

“There were hundreds of thousands of forms generated, each of which had to be manually inputted,” the auditor general said.

Some places in rural or remote locations had poor internet connections, which hindered communication and eligibility screening, the report stated.

“In terms of the recommendations we take those very seriously, and we will certainly be looking at ways to digitize and to improve our systems,” said Gordon.

Shtykalo found vaccine inventory controls to be appropriate, but some logs or data related to the storage of doses was missing.

COVID-19 Vaccine report

Vaccine wastage met the industry standard of five per cent during the audit.

His report mentioned the government’s 2016 decision to close a program designed to keep a stockpile of personal protective equipment for a pandemic.

It said the province is setting up a new emergency response warehouse.

Gordon said the province will look at capacity and how and where to store supplies.

Shtykalo also cited the Pallister government’s 2021 deal with a Calgary company for two million doses of a yet-to-be-approved vaccine.

The auditor general said his office found the agreement was never finalized and the province did not give any money to the firm.

Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Candace Bradshaw agreed with the finding that the rollout was handled effectively.

She believes Manitoba could have used doctors’ offices earlier in the process.

“This would have leveraged the clinic locations Manitobans were already familiar with and the doctors they already knew and trusted,” Bradshaw said in a statement.

Thomas Linner, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, said the rollout was unprecedented and worthy of praise.

He said the report didn’t mention some of the things that were happening at the time, including Manitoba facing criticism for a “slow” rollout.

“What’s really needed is a full public inquiry into the government’s handling of COVID-19,” said Linner.

— with files from Carol Sanders

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching