The province is receiving an initial shipment of 14,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine for children, which the Director of Medical Health, Dr. Brent Roussin expects it to arrive by the end of this week. Since this is a limited supply, Roussin says priority will be given to children in this age group who are most at risk for COVID-19, including those who:
you have certain medical conditions such as: chronic lung disease, airway abnormalities, congenital or chronic heart or circulatory diseases, moderately to severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or treatment, neurological disorders (including developmental delay), diabetes, chronic kidney disease or any chronic disease associated with premature birth; or they are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, regardless of where they live.
Parents and caregivers of eligible children can begin booking appointments Monday at 8 a.m. using the online vaccine finder at protectmb.ca or by calling 1-844-626-8222. Rusin says appointments will be available at regional vaccine sites, public health offices and medical clinics. A second shipment of vaccine is expected in late July or early August. There are approximately 76,700 children in Manitoba in this age group. Figures from the province show that more than 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to date. About 43 percent of children ages 5-11 are fully immunized, and nearly 80 percent of youth ages 12-17 have at least two doses of the vaccine.
