Unlike Alberta, Manitoba won’t charge for COVID shots: health minister

Manitoba will not be following Alberta’s lead to charge citizens for COVID-19 vaccines in the fall.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said “COVID vaccines will be readily available for Manitobans at the right time.”

“There will be no charge… we are making sure COVID vaccines are available and will be free for the public because we recognize it is one way, it’s an important way, for keeping themselves safe,” Asagwara said. “So that’s the approach we are taking as a government. We believe that vaccines are really, really important.

“We know they’re important, we know they’re safe, and we encourage folks to go out and get themselves protected.”

Noah Schulz, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, said the group was heartened to hear that the Manitoba government will not be following Alberta’s “dangerous example.”

“COVID-19 is still a serious public health risk and getting vaccinated is an important way of looking after ourselves and our communities,” Schulz said. “For all our health and safety, it is critical that COVID vaccines remain freely available across Manitoba without any financial barriers blocking access.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced last week most Albertans would be charged for a COVID-19 vaccination starting in the fall.

The Alberta Medical Association and health-care unions have raised concerns about the change, but Smith has said it is about targeting who most need the vaccinations while preventing wastage and recovering costs.

The Alberta government has not said how much it will charge, but has said the cost for the government to buy each shot is about $110.

Keir Johnson, a spokesman for Doctors Manitoba, a physician advocacy organization, said the Manitoba government’s decision is a good one.

“Our position is, that just like flu shots, the COVID vaccine should be available to everyone at no charge,” Johnson said.

“Cost should never be a barrier to the protection vaccines offer for the individual and the broader community.”

Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba, said “the majority of strongly recommended vaccines are publicly funded.

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“In the past, things like annually recommended flu shots and COVID shots have been funded at no cost to the patient, provided that they have a valid Manitoba Health card. And so, going forward, we would expect that vaccines that are strongly recommended by public health would be supported through government funding of that vaccine and of that service.”

Meanwhile, the provincial government said COVID vaccinations are available until the end of June, but then they won’t be offered again until the fall immunization program begins.

The government also confirmed that vaccines for children, aged six months to 11 years of age, have already been suspended because its supply of Moderna’s Spikevax expired last week.

A provincial spokesperson said there were 1,143 doses of the vaccine left when they expired.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.