Manitoba lowers vaccine age eligibility to 40 and older

All Manitobans 40 and older can now book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine at one of the province's supersites or pop-up clinics, the province announced Friday.

Earlier this week, the province's vaccine implementation task force said it would open eligibility to new groups each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Johanu Botha, the task force's operations lead, said the eligibility age could drop about five years on average with each update.

The province plans to make everyone over 18 eligible for the vaccine by May 21. People age 12 and up may also become eligible to book a shot by the same day.

All First Nations people 18 and older are already eligible for a vaccine. People age 30 to 39 with certain health conditions and anyone 40 or older can also book appointments for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine through medical clinics and pharmacies that have doses.

Eligibility also includes anyone 18 or older who is pregnant, who is a client of Community Living DisAbility Services or who works in any health-care setting or as a front-line police officer or firefighter.

People living and working in a number of COVID-19 hotspots are also eligible.

For a complete list of who is currently eligible, as well as a map of priority areas, visit the provincial government's website.

2nd Winnipeg supersite opens

A new vaccination supersite opened Friday at the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North facility at 770 Leila Ave. in Garden City. This is the sixth supersite to open in Manitoba and the second in Winnipeg. 

"I want to see my family again and my loved ones, and I want to contribute, and this is my way, I guess, of contributing," said Natalia Manaigre, who was one of the first people at the site to receive a shot Friday morning.

"I think our front-liners are working hard enough and I think we need to step up to the plate to help them out in our way," she said.

Nora Valencia said she had been waiting to receive her shot.

"Having a vaccination is just another layer of protection on my body," she said. 

The Manitoba government has said it plans to open 13 sites across the province, with at least one site in each of the five health regions.

Other supersites set to open in the coming weeks include one in Dauphin on May 10 and another in Steinbach on May 18. The province also has plans for a supersite in Gimli at the Gimli Recreation Centre, which will open sometime in late May.