WINNIPEG — Fully vaccinated people will be able to return to the dance floor as Manitoba brings back COVID-19 public health orders that allow certain activities only for those who have received two shots.
The province announced that restaurants, bars, bingo halls, sporting venues and movie theatres must require people to show a vaccine passport starting next Friday.
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Dancing was banned at bars and weddings more than a year ago under measures put in place to try to curb devastating second and third waves of the pandemic. Even as restrictions loosened earlier this month, dancing was still not allowed.
Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, said people with proof of vaccination will finally be able to boogie, as long as they are masked.
“This is the benefit of this system,” he said Friday.
“We can have the vast majority of adult Manitobans taking part in activities without restrictions, except the requirement to be vaccinated.”
Health Minister Audrey Gordon said proof of vaccination is an important step to keep children safe as they head back to school next month, since those under 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated.
“We want to ensure they are protected and they are safe,” Gordon said.
Children who aren’t eligible to be immunized will be able to participate in activities if they are with a fully vaccinated adult.
More than 81 per cent of eligible Manitobans have had at least one dose and more than 76 per cent have had both. Gordon said that leaves about 406,000 in the province who have not been vaccinated. Of those, about 230,000 are children under 12.
The province previously announced it was bringing back a mask mandate for indoor public places, including schools, starting Saturday.
As well, all front-line provincial employees who work with vulnerable populations must be fully vaccinated or get regular testing.
Not every member of the Progressive Conservative government is supportive of public health’s new direction. Tory members of the legislature James Teitsma and Josh Guenter both posted on social media that the measures go too far.
In comments about the health orders, Teitsma referenced human rights violations, including residential schools, forced sterilizations and internment camps.
“One thing these human rights violations have in common: they were popular and favoured by the public.”
Guenter, in a letter to Premier Brian Pallister, wrote that the vaccine mandate “sledgehammer” won’t work in his southeastern Manitoba constituency and that it is creating two classes of people.
The government’s decisionwas applauded by some businesses and restaurants that have been significantly affected by public health orders throughout the pandemic.
Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said immediate and strong measures had to be taken or there would probably be another round of restrictions or closures
“Such a scenario would be absolutely devastating to business and our community,” Remillard said in a news release.
A fourth wave of the pandemic has emerged in other areas of Canada. In Manitoba, there have been low daily case counts. There were 31 new infections reported Friday and the five-day test positivity rate was 2.8 per cent.
Roussin has said Manitoba will inevitably be affected by the fast-spreading Delta variant.
The province brought in a vaccine passport, or proof of immunization card, in early June. But, as restrictions were loosened, it was no longer required for many activities or to enter most businesses.
Earlier this week, Quebec and British Columbia announced they will issue a similar passport for people who want to take part in events or go to restaurants. Those provinces are facing increasing infections.
B.C.’s government said there has already been a significant increase in vaccine registrations and bookings for first doses since its announcement.
Roussin said he hopes to see a similar reaction in Manitoba.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said given the passports were distributed months ago, the renewed measure has come in late.
The report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said more than 81 per cent of people in Manitoba have had at least one dose and more than 76 per cent have had both. In fact, the percentages reflect those eligible to get the vaccine.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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