Manitoba pharmacies, doctors' offices eager to offer COVID-19 vaccine, but timelines remain unclear

The limited quantities and sensitive storage requirements of the COVID-19 vaccines available in Canada have meant that few places currently have the capacity to get doses into the arms of Manitobans. 

Once the logistical kinks have been worked out and more easily transportable vaccines become available, however, questions remain about where they should be administered, and by whom.

Doctors and pharmacists in Manitoba hope to offer vaccines in their clinics and pharmacies, but organizations representing both professions couldn't say when that might be possible.

"In our speaking with the leaders of the vaccine response, that certainly is going to be some time away, given the challenges with vaccine supply," said Dr. Cory Baillie, president of Doctors Manitoba.

The United States recently announced it plans to give COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups at pharmacies, and pharmacists in Manitoba are eager to do the same, said Tim Smith, external relations chair with Pharmacists Manitoba.

"Pharmacists are absolutely ready to participate in getting vaccines in arms," he said, adding that this year, pharmacists administered half of the flu vaccine doses in the province.

"We're part of the public health strategy and we're absolutely ready to help put an end to COVID-19," he said.

Pharmacists vs. doctors

Pharmacists already have a "robust distribution system" with the ability to book appointments, administer the vaccine safely and follow up with patients to give them their second doses, Smith said.

That same infrastructure exists in doctors' offices and community clinics, Baillie said, and the established relationships physicians have with their patients are an added benefit.

"Physicians know their patients well and know their history, which puts them in the best position to be able to give trusted advice to their patients about vaccine safety, and especially in the case of some Manitobans who may be vaccine hesitant," he said.

The first large vaccination site opened at the RBC Convention Centre in downtown Winnipeg this week, where eligible front-line health workers have been receiving the vaccine. 

A second vaccination supersite is set to open at the Keystone Centre in Brandon on Jan. 18, and a third in Thompson on Feb. 1.

So far, Manitoba has received 22,230 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. As of Friday, 7,484 people had received their first dose of the two-dose vaccines, and an additional 596 people had received both doses, according to the province.

Some Manitoba First Nations started receiving shipments of the vaccine Thursday evening, and on Monday, immunization teams will start vaccinating residents in seven care homes around the province.

Beyond supersites

Regardless of who provides the vaccine to the wider population, the distribution system will need to move beyond the supersites, said Yoav Keynan, head of the University of Manitoba's infectious disease section and the scientific director of the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases.

"As a starting point, I understand the approach," he said. 

"But eventually, in order to reach other places and populations beyond health care workers, other models will need to take place."

Keynan says one country that has successfully used its existing infrastructure is Israel, where more than 1 million people — 11 per cent of the population — have received the vaccine.

Although its small size and dense population give it an advantage over large, diffuse countries like Canada, Israel has received praise for the way it has organized its campaign.

There have been more than 150 vaccine clinics running across the country, while vaccination vans travel to rural areas.

While many people are eager to get the vaccine, Keynan urges patience while officials put the pieces in place.

"This is a marathon. It's not a sprint," he said.