Manitoba is refusing to reveal how much of a “scarce supply” of monkeypox vaccine it has on hand, although it announced it has reopened enrollment hours after abruptly halting it earlier this week.
Currently, only men who have sex with men are eligible to be vaccinated against monkeypox in Manitoba, and no cases of the virus have been reported in the province amid a global outbreak that has prompted calls for a faster local immunization campaign.
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
In a screenshot from the video call with the news conference, Dr. Brent Rusin, the province’s chief public health officer, provides an update on monkeypox vaccination in the province.
The province added more appointment times Thursday afternoon for vaccinations expected to be administered starting next week and will report the number of doses administered on a weekly basis going forward, the province’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Rusin, said Thursday during a virtual press conference that was his first public appearance since July 20.
Eligibility criteria
Vaccination is offered to people who identify as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and who meet one of the following criteria: • Have been diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea and/or syphilis in the past two months; • You have had two or more sexual partners in the past 21 days;• You have visited places of sexual contact or plan to do so;• You have had anonymous sex in the past 21 days or plan to do so;• You are involved in sex work or plan to do so, either as a worker or as a customer. People who are in close contact with someone with monkeypox are also eligible for post-exposure vaccination and should contact their local public health office to schedule a vaccination.
Because it’s a “relatively scarce resource,” most of Canada’s supply of Imvamune vaccine has been sent to provinces where there are already widespread cases, and Manitoba will keep its own supply under wraps, Rusin said.
“At this point in time about the number of doses we’re getting, we’re not going to get involved in the reporting,” he said. “We secured a lot of doses, scheduled clinics and allocated doses accordingly, and as you saw, they had a very rapid demand for it, so we immediately moved to get more vaccine into the jurisdiction.”
He suggested a lack of supplies is why bookings stopped just hours after Manitoba expanded eligibility on Monday to people who have not yet been exposed to monkeypox but are at the highest risk of contracting it. Currently, most of the reported cases are among gay or bisexual men.
The virus is spread primarily through prolonged physical contact – including sex – but is not a sexually transmitted infection. Anyone can become infected, although the current risk is low for the general population in Canada.
Eligibility for the vaccine is not changing in Manitoba, although more appointments are opening, and Rusin said there are no plans to make the vaccine available in doctors’ offices or pharmacies. The vaccine is available in every public health region and eligible Manitobans outside of Winnipeg are advised to contact their local public health office.
Bren Dixon, coordinator of the Manitoba Sexuality Education Resource Centre, said it’s not surprising that the initial appointments filled up so quickly. The queer community is generally well-connected nationally and very “aware of the pandemic,” Dixon said, noting that many grassroots organizations — including Sunshine House, which held a webinar on the topic last week — have been educating people about monkeypox for several months.
MICHAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
The queer community tends to be well-connected nationally and very “pandemic aware,” Bren Dixon said.
“Queer people have a long history, especially post-HIV, of looking out for each other and being health conscious and communicating with each other when things are available,” said Dixon, who was able to keep a vaccine appointment after setting up alarm , noting that it is not so easy for all who are at risk.
Greater access to vaccines at the community level would help, he said, especially given that some men who have sex with men are out and about and won’t visit a community health clinic. Cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, which have already seen significant transmission of monkeypox, are holding pop-up clinics in locations targeting gay men.
DELIVERED
Will Franklin has secured a vaccine appointment for the start of next week after booking resumed on Thursday.
Will Franklin has secured a vaccine appointment for the start of next week after booking resumed on Thursday. He was surprised to find that the appointments were already full when he tried to book first thing on Tuesday morning, the second day of extended eligibility, and said he felt at the time that people trying to get access to the vaccine, were treated “as second-class citizens.”
Only a few doses were made available to the province in early June, when eligibility was limited to people who may have already been exposed to someone with monkeypox. The province has faced criticism for not expanding eligibility sooner to get ahead of the spread of the virus.
There are now calls for government and public health leaders to be more transparent about Manitoba’s supply level and future rollout plans, including the plan for second doses, which are recommended 28 days after the first.
There are currently no appointments available for a second dose.
The NDP and Liberals called on the government to improve its communication.
“The Stefansson government is keeping people in the dark. If they don’t have enough monkeypox vaccines, they need to be honest about it and step up a strong communications campaign to fight the stigma and protect Manitobans,” Liberal Leader Dugald Lamont said Thursday.
“Clearly there is a breakdown here.” – Liberal leader Dugald Lamont
“Clearly there is a breakdown here. All the money we put into prevention now will be saved by preventing disease, misery, and avoiding health care and business costs. We know there are challenges with vaccine access, so if we can’t get vaccines, what is public health going to do instead?”
NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara, who uses non-binary pronouns, said they’ve heard from some people who are worried about not having access to the vaccine. The lack of proactive information coming from the government about monkeypox is “inexcusable”, they said.
“Many of the questions I get from people in my constituency and more broadly across the province could be answered very easily if the government just communicates with them,” Asagwara said, describing it as an opportunity to learn from the pandemic. COVID-19.
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“Many of the questions I get from the people in my constituency and more broadly across the province could be very easily answered if the government would just communicate with them,” Uzoma Asagwara said.
Asked what lessons from COVID Manitoba can apply to monkeypox, Rusin said it’s important to identify the most at-risk groups without stigmatizing them. Because of the way the virus spreads, he advised people to consider limiting their sexual partners, especially anonymous partners.
The doctor also recommended that people avoid skin-to-skin contact with people who are showing symptoms, maintain good hand hygiene, regularly clean frequently touched items, refrain from sharing personal items, and avoid touching bedding or laundry to someone diagnosed or suspected of having monkeypox.
People without Internet access can call Health Links at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 to make an appointment or contact their local public health office.
katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com
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