Manitoba logs ‘very minimal’ number of infections among vaccinated population

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This article was published 10/05/2021 (1790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the province’s COVID-19 crisis deepens, just seven per cent of cases in the past week involved people who were vaccinated — with even fewer immunized Manitobans requiring hospital care.

“To get that protection from the vaccine, it takes two to three weeks,” chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday.

“So when we look at the amount of what we’d call breakthrough infections — infections after that first two weeks — we’re seeing a very, very minimal amount of these cases.”

Following requests by the Free Press, the Manitoba government provided data on the number of COVID-19 infections in people who have been immunized with at least one dose of the vaccine for 14 days or more.

Since the vaccine rollout began in mid-December, a total of 410 people partially immunized with one dose became infected with COVID-19, two weeks or more after receiving their shot, as of May 10.

Among those fully immunized with two shots, a total of 75 infections have been reported.

For most people, it takes at least 14 days for the body to build up an immune response following vaccination. When an infection does occur after the 14-day period, it’s called vaccine “breakthrough.”

“If you look at the breakthrough cases, certainly, the minority of new cases are in those who have been vaccinated… and even fewer that have severe outcomes,” Roussin said.

Of the 410 partially vaccinated Manitobans who caught COVID-19, a total of 26 required hospital care, and seven died. Of the people who died, all were at least 65 years old, the province said.

No Manitobans who have been fully immunized have died from COVID-19, according to the province; just four fully vaccinated individuals have been admitted to hospital.

“It’s very clear that the vaccine is protective, and you can see it in our health-care system with people admitted to hospital, we’re seeing less and less of the older age groups… and that’s very likely due to the large vaccine uptake,” Roussin said.

For those who become sick with COVID-19 within 14 days of receiving the vaccine, medical experts agree they were likely infected with the novel coronavirus prior to their immunization, or were infected before the body had a chance to develop immunity.

The province did not provide data on the number of infections among people vaccinated less than 14 days before their symptoms appeared.

In the past week, Manitoba has seen some of its highest case numbers throughout the pandemic, but a significant portion of the population has also received a single dose of the vaccine.

Overall, 481,119 Manitobans have received at least one dose, and 485 of them have been infected (0.10 per cent).

“The number of infections that we’re seeing in these people who have been immunized, and that’s after one dose, is extremely low,” said Jason Kindrachuk, a University of Manitoba virologist.

“It tells us, frankly, that vaccination works. But we have to keep in mind, when we think about vaccination as whole, and one dose versus two doses; first of all, vaccines are not 100 per cent protective against infection.”

However, the likelihood of becoming severely ill after immunization is drastically decreased and most people have a mild illness, Kindrachuk said.

Data from the United Kingdom, where a large proportion of the population has been vaccinated, also suggests the ability to transmit the virus is decreased post-immunization, he noted.

“In England today, it was the first time in over a year they’ve had zero (COVID) deaths, that to me is where you look at the power of vaccination,” Kindrachuk said.

Between May 3-10, Manitoba notched 2,654 COVID-19 infections.

Of those, 158 people had been vaccinated with a single dose (or 5.9 per cent) and 29 were fully vaccinated, based on week-over-week data provided by the provincial government. Eleven were admitted to hospital, including three who were fully vaccinated.

The week prior, there were 1,689 infections reported in Manitoba. Provincial data show 57 infections were in partially immunized people (or 3.38 per cent).

“It’s a tough time in Manitoba, it’s been four days now of high numbers now, and certainly everybody is exhausted,” Kindrachuk said. “We’re not going to be able to immunize enough people by tomorrow that by Wednesday everything turns around.

“It’s going to be a period of some slow gains for us. But we’re getting there.”

He said the data also underscores the necessity for second doses.

“Generally, what we’re seeing is immunization works. We need to get people that second dose, because the first dose gives you good immune protection, but it’s not going to give you the best bang for your buck,” he said.

So far, provincial public health officials say the number of post-immunization infections are in line with expectations of a successful vaccination program.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the province’s COVID-19 vaccine task force, was unavailable for an interview Monday.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca