Manitoba vaccine pop-up clinics rescheduled after Moderna shipments delayed

Pop-up clinics in 18 communities scheduled to open next week will need to be rescheduled after delays of two shipments of Moderna vaccine, the government of Manitoba announced Monday.

A delivery of 28,300 that was supposed to arrive the week of March 22 didn't arrive until April 3, and a shipment of 28,400 expected this week will not come until next week.

A total of 24 clinics scheduled from April 12 to 15 will be rescheduled, affecting around 7,200 people.

Randy Whitbread, 68, lives in Flin Flon. He booked an appointment for a clinic on April 16, but now he doesn't know if it will happen after clinics on April 13, 14 and 15 were cancelled. 

"It's been such a mess and a screw up, because even when I went to book, they had no idea what was available, what dates they were booking for," Whitbread said.

Whitbread said he had to call 10 times before getting his appointment. Adding to his frustration, Whitbread said he had the opportunity to get a vaccine in Creighton, Sask., which lies just across the Manitoba border from Flin Flon, but he decided not to because he expected to get one in Manitoba.

"It's frustrating, really frustrating," he said.

The affected communities and clinic dates include:

• Steinbach (April 12, 13, 14 and 15).
• Pine Falls (April 13).
• Stonewall (April 13).
• Flin Flon (April 13, 14 and 15).
• Virden (April 13).
• Russell (April 13).
• Gladstone (April 13).
• Pinawa (April 14).
• Eriksdale (April 14).
• Teulon (April 14).
• The Pas (April 14).
• Swan River (April 14).
• Killarney (April 14).
• Portage la Prairie (April 14 and 15).
• Arborg (April 15).
• St. Laurent (April 15).
• Beausejour (April 15).
• Dauphin (April 15).

The province says it will contact everyone who is affected by the delays to reschedule their appointments.

Virden deputy mayor Tina Williams said her parents had appointments scheduled for the clinic that was supposed to happen on April 13. It would have been the first clinic to open in the community of 3,200 people, 70 kilometres west of Brandon.

"It's unfortunate that it's cancelled. We get that everything can't be perfect. I'm not going to criticize them for it because things are moving so fast, but we're disappointed as a community," Williams said.

Anyone who already made appointments for clinics in Glenboro (April 7), Matheson Island (April 8), Pine Dock (April 8), Faulkner (April 8), Whitemouth (April 8), and Piney (April 9) can still get the vaccine, but the province isn't booking any more appointments for these clinics.

Other pop-ups scheduled this week won't be affected.

Appointments are still available at one of the province's five supersites.