COVID vaccine partnership between pharmacists, others, forming with province

The Government of Manitoba says they are preparing to receive COVID-19 vaccines that do not have the same strict storing regulations as the ones currently in use.

Moderna and Phizer are the two vaccine brands being used in Manitoba. The province is sharing they are anticipating different vaccines that do not need special freezers to store them to trickle into Manitoba and are speculatively preparing.

“To prepare, we are asking physicians and pharmacists who are interested in providing this kind of care for their patients to take part in the registration process so we can identify and create a list of front-line providers who are able and willing to provide COVID-19 vaccines once they are available,” Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson says in a statement.

Working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, the Manitoba College of Family Physicians, the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba, Doctors Manitoba and Pharmacists Manitoba, they are working on a new workflow in anticipation.

Pharmacies are one of the easiest ways for Manitobans to get their COVID-19 vaccination safely and close to where they live or work,” Wendy Clark, president of College of Pharmacists of Manitoba says. “Pharmacists are an important part of every Manitobans’ health-care team.”

Dr. Cory Baillie, president of Doctors Manitoba says doctors are ready to administer the vaccines when the time comes.

“Manitobans have been calling their doctors about the new COVID-19 vaccines and seeking advice from the trusted health-care provider who knows their personal medical situation, and now they’ll be able to get the vaccine from them too.”

The Vaccine Implementation Task Force is going to be taking registrations from pharmacies and medical clinics willing to administer the vaccines.

The province is anticipating the demand for the vaccine will outweigh the supply and will be detraining how the new vaccines will be distributed.

Factors include:

• COVID-19 case numbers and epidemiology in a community;
• the proportion of eligible Manitobans served by the medical clinic or pharmacy;
• the provider’s capacity to administer the vaccine; and
• if people have access to the vaccine at other locations, such as super sites and focused immunization teams.

Previously the Vaccine Implementation Task Force announced its prioritization list.