One of 79K fully-immunized Manitobans dies of COVID-19
Death represents a small fraction of over half a million fully- or partly-vaccinated Manitobans
A single COVID-19 death of a fully-immunized Manitoban is a rarity in contrast to the over half a million people in the province who've already received at least one dose.
One person 65 or older contracted the illness seven or more days after receiving their second dose and died, according to data provided to CBC News by the Manitoba government on Tuesday afternoon.
It's very rare to get COVID-19 after two doses — 79,091 Manitobans are now fully immunized, and 107 have gone on to get infected a week or more after their second dose, the province says. That works out to about 0.14 per cent.
Ten of those fully immunized were hospitalized.
"While no vaccine provides 100 per cent protection, it has significantly reduced the severe effects of COVID-19 for thousands of Manitobans," a provincial spokesperson said in a statement. "The numbers … are in line with what we'd expect to see in any successful vaccination program."
The latest data on infection rates post-vaccination support this statement and suggests a high level of protection is conferred after even one dose.
On average it takes at least two weeks after your first jab to develop antibodies that can mount an immune response against COVID-19. Generally, anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms before this 14-day period is likely to have contracted it prior to receiving their first dose, the province says.
However, a small fraction do get COVID-19 after this period in what are known as breakthroughs.
Of the nearly 427,000 Manitobans to receive a dose so far, 551 — 0.13 per cent — became infected two weeks or more afterward, and before their second dose. Forty ended up in hospital, and eight died (all of them 65 or older except for one).
Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer for Manitoba Shared Health, said on Monday that 34 partially-vaccinated people have ended up in intensive care units, nearly all of whom contracted COVID-19 within three weeks of getting their first dose.
"After about three weeks, the vaccine is around 90 per cent effective," she said.
Health-care workers were among the first to be fully vaccinated with mRNA-based vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) after hundreds became ill or were forced to isolate due to hospital exposures during the first and second waves.
Siragusa said that prioritization campaign has been a big help for staffing amid the current crush of third wave hospitalizations, which Manitoba's models suggest are expected to keep rising for two to four weeks.
Very few hospital workers are getting COVID-19 compared to previous waves due to the immunity they've developed from vaccination, she said.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention released real-world immunization data on about 4,000 U.S. health-care and front-line workers last month. The research suggested mRNA-based vaccines were 90 per cent effective at preventing infection 14 days or more after a second dose, and 80 per cent effective two weeks or more after one dose.
A separate study of about 23,000 U.K. hospital workers published in The Lancet last month suggests mRNA vaccines were 70 per cent effective three weeks after one dose and 85 per cent effective one week after two doses. This appeared to also be true for the B117 variant originally identified in the U.K., according to the study.
Manitoba officials say that variant has become the dominant strain in Manitoba and it's putting younger people in hospital.
Manitobans in hospital have a lower average age lately compared to previous waves, partly also because those cohorts only became eligible to be vaccinated more recently.
Everyone 12 and up became eligible last week.
So far, over 53 per cent of Manitoba adults have received at least one dose.
The province hopes to begin booking second dose appointments by this weekend and have all Manitobans fully immunized by mid- to late-July.
Book appointments through the province's website or by calling 1-844-626-8222.
WATCH | Lanette Siragusa on Manitoba's peak ICU capacity:
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