Essential workers, immunocompromised must wait for COVID vaccine shots as Manitoba determines priority by age

The praise being heaped on essential workers duringthepandemic won'ttranslate to an early vaccinationin Manitoba at least, not yet.

The province's plan, whichspecifieswho is getting aCOVID-19 vaccine and when, is omittingessential workers and people with high-risk health conditions.

Teachers are among those feeling left out following Wednesday's announcement, union president James Bedford said.

"Our members have heard the complimentary things that have been said, but what they're looking for really now isn't another pat on the back, it's a shot in the arm," Bedford said.

Manitoba is currentlyproviding its first vaccines topersonal-care home residents, health-care workers and people at risk onFirst Nations.

Soon, the province will deliver vaccines to communal-living situations such as housing for migrant workers and homeless shelters.

In March, the province willbegin vaccinating everyone else. The multi-monthcampaign will start from theoldest adults to the youngest.

However, the provinceis making no exceptions foressential workers who are regularly in close contact with peopleranging from teachers to grocery store workers.

"To be clear, we're not asking to jump the queue," Bedford said, notingfront-line health-care workers, care-home residents and vulnerable people are more deserving.

"But what we're asking is:Let's follow the lead of Ontario,let's get those education workers next in line."

Ontario is planning to inoculateessential workers, including teachers, starting in April.

UFCW Local 832 president Jeff Traegerfigured Manitoba would follow suit with its neighbouring province.

Earlier in the pandemic, the union worked with the province to distribute pay bumps to essential workers, but now thepeople once deserving of risk recognition pay are not high on the vaccine list.

"There was an assumption that because I received this extra paybecause I'm told I have to go to work every day when everybody else is being asked to stay home thatwhen it came time for vaccinationswe're going tobe on that list somewhere ahead of the general public," Traeger said.

UFCW's members include grocery store workers, security guards and employees atmeat- and poultry-processing facilities.

Priority list in flux

The province said Wednesday it might add essential workers to the priority list if it receives more vaccine supply. Health officials will also consult with stakeholders over the next months to decide who should be eligible if the province decides to expand its criteria.

Traegersays young workers shouldn't be discounted by the vaccination plan.

"We have folks working in our retailgrocery and our food processing plants and in security who are young folks thathave a much higher risk of exposure to the public on a daily basis."

The province is also not prioritizingpeoplein the wider communitywith compromised immune systemsor other underlying health conditions.

WATCH | 'I would love to offer to every Manitoban the opportunity to get vaccinated today'

'I would love to offer to every Manitoban the opportunity to get vaccinated today'

4 years ago

Duration 1:19

Dr. Joss Reimer on why essential workers, people with severe health conditions are not included in this vaccine roll out.

Manitoba is using age as the deciding factor of who gets vaccinated first, and Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for Manitoba's vaccineimplementation task force, says that strategyis a strongindicator for health outcome.

"When youdo an age-based approach, not only do you capture people based on their age alone, but you capture most of the people with those health conditions that lead to the severe outcomes as well," Reimer told reporters on Wednesday.

Rely on more than age, doctor says

However, Dr. KellyMacDonald, a vaccine researcher and research chair into infectious diseases, says Manitoba shouldn't useage as its only metric.

"Certainly elderly people are statistically athigher risk, but it's like saying we're only going to consider one variable and ignore all the others,"MacDonaldsaid. "There's no reason why we can't consider other variables."

MacDonaldsays it appears the province is devising the simplest possible solution, potentially to prevent some people from claiming they have a major health problem when they don't.

Christa Taylor, 57, learned of the vaccination priority list Wednesday aftergrocery shopping. Right away, she felt sheshouldn't get the shot before people with health concerns.

"I'd rather seesomeone with asthma or lung condition go ahead of me, for sure," she said.

Other shoppers outside the Northgate Shopping Centrewere also happy to wait.

"I'll have [the shot]yesterday if it's here, but I'm willing to wait my turn," said Nick Inocencio, who is in his 50s.

Once it's his chance, Norm Kudlak, 76, joked he'dstand in line for a vaccine likehe was buying tickets to a rock concert.

"Maybe the restrictions will be relaxed a bit then [and] we can do more socializing," he said. "Imiss walking around. I miss seeing everybody."