Manitoba teenagers who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour, those who live in congregate living facilities and those who have underlying health conditions can now receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The province is following the advice of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which recommends a booster for kids age 12-17 who may be at risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes due to biological and social risk factors, as well as those who face systemic barriers to accessing health care.
"We know that we have a significant population of teens who fit the criteria, who are at high risk of severe outcomes and would benefit from being as protected as possible," said Dr. Joss Reimer, the medical lead of the vaccine implementation task force.
Reimer says youth in the age group who live in shelters, group homes or correctional facilities are eligible for the booster, as as those who have underlying medical conditions, and/or belong to racialized or marginalized communities.
NACI recommends people in the age group wait six months between their second and third doses.
The province had already recommended that teens in this age group who are moderately to severely immunocompromised have three doses for their first series of immunizations with a fourth, booster dose afterward.
Most teens who do not fit the specific criteria are not eligible for the third dose of the vaccine, because two doses keep the majority in that age group very well protected against hospitalization, ICU admission and death, Reimer said.
More details on who is eligible for their third dose is available on the province's website.
New data released
The booster recommendation comes the same day as the province released new data that suggests COVID-19 vaccine uptake is higher among BIPOC people in Manitoba, and those groups are seeing fewer severe outcomes of the disease than their counterparts who are white.
"The vaccines remain a critical tool in preventing severe outcomes amongst BIPOC communities," said Dr. Marcia Anderson, the public health lead of the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team.
In spite of Manitoba public health leads making a crucial error in their vaccine rollout plans by focusing on age as the most clear indicator of risk instead of other risk factors, community groups have worked to make vaccines more accessible to BIPOC communities, Anderson said.
Previously-released data has suggested that racial and ethnic minority groups and people who are Indigenous are at a higher risk of contracting the virus and suffering severe outcomes because of lower income levels, higher rates of overcrowded housing, a lack of access to health care and jobs with more contact with the public.
Public health officials worked to release the data on Monday to coincide with the latest recommendations for boosters, Anderson said.
"We knew it was pressing to be able to share the data to help members of BIPOC communities, families with young people in them, make informed choices," she said.
As of Monday, 80.3 per cent of eligible Manitobans five and older had received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 41.7 per cent had received three.
WATCH | Full news conference on COVID-19 | February 7, 2022:
Manitoba teens who are BIPOC, with underlying conditions eligible for 3rd COVID-19 vaccine - CBC.ca
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