Province recommending Manitobans get new COVID, flu shots at same time

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/09/2023 (761 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province is urging Manitobans to protect themselves against both COVID and the flu before the inescapable cold-weather respiratory virus season takes hold.

Chief public health officer Brent Roussin announced Wednesday that new COVID-19 vaccines targeting an emerging strain of the virus, along with the annual influenza shots, should be available in clinics and pharmacies by the middle of October.

Roussin, who was making his first public appearance in several months, told a news conference the rollout plan is to simultaneously administer both shots. He said it’s safe to receive a COVID booster and a flu shot during the same appointment and that’s what he’s recommending Manitobans do ahead of an anticipated surge in viral respiratory infections.

And while COVID booster shots are currently available, Roussin advised waiting until the public supply of vaccines targeting the XBB variant — a descendant of omicron — arrive next month.

“We’re not expecting any limitations on supply,” he said.

A new vaccine for people over the age of 60 who want protection against respiratory syncytial virus, is available by prescription but the cost — approximately $200 — is not being covered by the province. Manitoba is not following Ontario’s lead and including the RSV shot in its public health coverage in the absence of updated guidelines from the national advisory committee on immunization, Roussin confirmed.

The first shipment of the new COVID vaccines to Manitoba is expected next week and will be reserved for care-home residents, hospital patients and First Nations residents.

Vulnerable populations are “still being attacked by these viruses,” and several local personal-care homes are experiencing active outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, said Julie Turenne-Maynard, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Residential Community Care Homes for the Elderly.

Noting some homes have returned to stronger protocols to curb outbreaks, Turenne-Maynard urged the public to continue vaccination, masking, testing and staying home when ill to protect care home residents.

“We can’t neglect what we’ve learned, and people really have to be aware that if they’re not feeling well, they should continue to test for COVID, and if they do have it, stay away.”

The public rollout of the vaccines will begin after the initial shipment is distributed to personal-care homes, with no staggered age-range eligibility this time around. It’s most important to prioritize vulnerable groups with immunization and a return to masking in high-risk settings, suggested Winnipeg medical microbiologist Dr. Philippe Lagacé-Wiens.

“I’d now call it a common courtesy,” he said. “It’s not asking for a mandate, it’s asking to look out for our loved ones and our fellow citizens by reducing that risk of giving them the infection.”

Current provincial modelling for COVID-19 doesn’t have enough reliable data to form accurate predictions, Roussin said. Hospitalizations increase during every fall respiratory virus season, but Roussin said he’s not bracing for the kind of spike in severe outcomes Manitoba saw earlier in the pandemic.

“Because testing is low, it’s very early on, we won’t have reliable modelling for what this would look like,” he said.

“As time goes on, we may be able to model that, but again, shifting away from the way we approached things during the crisis of the pandemic, we’re focused on severe outcomes. We’re not focused on the amount of infection, necessarily, because it’s very difficult to measure in a post-pandemic area.”

The number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded in Manitoba has increased by more than 70 per cent since the end of August. There were 80 cases the week of Aug. 20 to Aug. 26, and 137 cases recorded Sept. 3-9. Week over week, cases increased by 37 per cent as of Sept. 3.

PCR testing will continue to be limited this fall, available only when clinically recommended. Roussin explained the general public doesn’t need to rely on rapid tests, saying only high-risk individuals who might be eligible for anti-viral treatment should get tested for COVID-19.

Manitoba’s public health message is to stay home when sick, regardless of what is causing the illness, Roussin said.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com