The provincial government is reminding Manitobans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which includes respiratory viruses that are still prevalent, and influenza.
Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, says 18 per cent of Manitobans are actively vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is down 4 per cent from this time last year. Stated.
He said 25 per cent of Manitobans have received a flu shot, which is about the same as last year.
But Roussin said he would like to see those numbers increase.
“(The vaccine) is very effective at what we hope it will do: prevent severe outcomes. As I said, in the (intensive care unit), people who are hospitalized with the flu, “Not a single person was vaccinated. In a way, it’s heartbreaking because we know it’s preventable,” he said.
Almost 60% of people who have received a flu shot are over 65 years old, followed by people aged 50 to 64.
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“We still only see about 16 percent of cases under the age of five,” he says. “For influenza, we know that’s a risk factor.”
Early Friday morning, the Manitoba government issued a media release explaining that general distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will end at the end of April. Roussin said Manitobans who want to get vaccinated after May 1 should talk to their health-care provider.
Still, “summer is not the time for high infection rates,” he said, adding that the really best time to get vaccinated is in the fall.
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