Discussions

I think it is ridiculous that teachers should have to cross the Manitoba/North Dakota border to get their vaccination when we have super sites right here in Manitoba where they could be getting the same vaccinations. We wonder why teachers are feeling not valued.  
You never put them as a priority in the front line service to keep our kids safe in schools and now you're treating them like cow excrement by putting them way behind everyone else, including the homeless and certain neighborhoods that get access to the super site vaccinations. In my opinion teachers will do almost anything to protect, care for, and educate the children in their classes as if they were their own child. Now you slap them in the face with this, I thought you were an educated man Brian. Shame on you Mr. Pallister for neglecting one of the biggest groups of frontline workers helping in this pandemic.

Anyone over 40 is already eligible throughout Manitoba for Astra Zeneca and anyone over 50 for super cites.  
So any teachers over 40 can get their vaccines wherever.  
So that leaves only teachers 39 and under who aren’t in queue . So take a drive -  
We don’t all live near a super cite my uncle drove from Dauphin to Brandon through a snowstorm to get his.  
 
My nephews are in university in another province province 3rd year they had to leave residence come back to Manitoba , they can’t go back to that province until they are vaccinated - university rule .. if I could take them to Peace Gardens to get vaccinated I would be so appreciative but no - they need to wait it out just like everyone else be a while until 20-29 year olds are eligible.  
 
In the whole scheme of things and in the 3rd wave of this pandemic - we are all important we all contribute to society .  
 
Edited by Mac72, 2021-04-29 13:39:18

if you work in the east side of brandon or downtown as a teacher you can get a vaccine any time

The eligibility is really moving the past few days. That’s a large area shown on the map all the east end and downtown area.  
Anyone who lives in these area 18 and over is eligible .  
 
https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html  
 
 
That’s quite a few schools with large staff so lots of teachers and support staff  
New Era, Riverview, King George, Green Acres, Ecole Harrison, Betty Gibson, George Fitton, Neelin Secondary, Off Campus.  
 
Maple Leaf Food workers .  
 
Great to see things moving!  
 
Edited by Mac72, 2021-04-29 16:13:21

So I doubt ACC and Fire College would be eligible.

think that teachers should be at the front of the line. Teachers work in a highly structured environment unlike the front line workers in grocery stores, restaurants etc where they have no control of who comes in close contact.  
 
In my opinion, there are many other workers who work in much more hazardous locations than teachers. Truckers, who feed you and bring you supplies that you feel are necessary, transit drivers who have no control over who comes on the bus, of course our health care workers, who again have no control over who they come in close contact with. I could go on with the list of workers I feel have a far greater chance of exposure to covid than teachers.  
 
Then I hear you complaining you can not just run down to the corner location for a vaccine, give me a break and get a dose of reality. The world does not revolve around you. There are many other essential workers who are working in job with much higher risk factors than you.  
 
I do not always agree with the path the Pallister government has taken, but they have been working with many unknowns thru this pandemic. For the most part I feel they have done a good job with the info available and the lack of leadership from the federal government.  
 
I am old enough to qualify for the vaccine. My closest super site is 60 miles away, but I would had to wait 3 weeks, the next closest site was 95 miles away and vaccine was available in 3 days. I chose to drive.  
 
Big Daddy D, my advice to you is quit complaining, If you are a teacher and not eligible for a vaccine locally, is to get in your vehicle and drive to where you can get the vaccine. You are not any more special than any other worker or resident of MB who work in an area that puts you in contact with potential covid exposure.  
 
Edited by floyd2, 2021-04-29 19:20:15

The government seems to see its role in 'expanding' vaccination as making a series of announcements of who is 'eligible' and expecting people to figure out how to get an appointment and get to where the vaccines are.  
 
The cheapest and easiest way for them to distribute vaccines is through supersites. Coincidentally, almost all of the 'hot spots' are near supersites. Rural areas were served by pop-up clinics that would come to a community every few weeks for one day only, but those are stalled while they focus on (divert vaccines and staff to) the hotspots. The only other way for rural people to get a vaccine is through the government 'partners' in pharmacies and clinics.  
 
This allows them to put a lot of dots on the 'vaccine finder' map to look like the rural areas are served, when in fact a lot of those places only got 100 or so vaccines to serve a 50 km radius, so of course they were booked up before it was even announced the AZ was available to people 40+ Maybe the AZ vaccines were piling up in urban areas because people over 55 could just go to a supersite and get their vaccine.  
 
So, sure it was nice when government announced 'eligibility' for people over 40 for the AZ vaccines, but the vaccine was not accessible to most people who weren't already living in an area served by a supersite, that's where you see the green dots on the map.  
 
In contrast, Saskatchewan is a province with similar resources and population. They made it a priority to set up hundreds of actual clinics outside the major centers, so most people can get a vaccine in their own community or within a half hour drive. Drive-through sites in the big centers made it easy for those populations to get vaccines without needing an appointment. As a result, people can ACCESS their vaccines as soon as they are eligible. Here are the percentages of the SK population vaccinated today, by age:  
 
Ages 70+ = 85%  
Ages 60+ = 80%  
Ages 50+ = 72%  
Ages 40+ = 60%  
 
They were vaccinating 42+ and are opening up to everyone age 40+ tomorrow, and educational staff of all ages can get vaccinated right in their OWN PROVINCE/COUNTRY. What a concept.  
 
It really is good to see that we are finally getting more doses into arms in Manitoba each day, but our province's vaccine rollout just moved from second-worst to absolute worst for provinces in the country. Maybe people in urban areas don't see it and think it is easy for anyone who is eligible to just pop in to the supersite or pharmacy and get one. But that's not how it works outside city limits.  
 
The current eligible population (50+) and lower are people who are working and can't afford to waste a day getting their vaccine, and unlike other provinces, our government hasn't suggested that they will allow employees paid time off to do so. So we will see how it is going forward but I think extended hours, extra weekend capacaity and more clinics will be necessary to get the job done. Expanding eligibility is not the same as expanding accessibility.  
 
I am grateful that ND is willing to vaccinate our teachers, but we should be absolutely embarrassed that it is even necessary and start insisting that our government steps up their efforts province-wide. We're currently last in the provinces for getting the vaccines into arms - we're at 81% while most other provinces are closer to or above 90%.  
 
https://covid19tracker.ca/vaccinationtracker.html

Prioritizing certain groups isn't about deciding who the heroes are or who is vulnerable in their work. It's about protecting others and stopping the spread in environments and circumstances where it is necessary for people to gather.  
 
Nobody is saying put teachers at the front of the line because we appreciate them and they're important.  
 
Teachers are saying "Where we work, we 'GATHER' (like we're not supposed to) in LARGE GROUPS (20-60 exposures a day) and spend the day in CLOSE PROXIMITY to LOTS OF PEOPLE. Most of them with no masks on. And we are all breathing , all day in small enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. Thank goodness for spring and open windows!  
 
Most of the people in this setting can't be vaccinated, don't wear masks, don't respect personal space and aren't usually the best at hygiene (but they're probably better than most, now!) and they spend 6 hours there and go home to their families.  
 
I'll line up behind anyone else who works under similar conditions and has the potential to infect the dozens of people they have close, prolonged contact with each day. I will continue to wear my mask all day, change it whenever I move cohorts, clean all my surfaces, wash every desk, chair, iPad and lightswitch and sanitize my hands 100 times a day. It's not a miracle that Covid isn't spreading like wildfire in schools, it is hard work every day, and everyone in the school and on the bus helps.  
 
Feel free to give absolutely no consideration to the health and welfare of school staff, but we work with your kids, and they go home to their families. Or if you want to be purely economical about it, we want to do everything we can to keep schools open so the kids can be there, and everyone else can keep going to work. To that end, a lot of them are going to take their own time on the weekend to drive 7-8 hours round trip and across an international border to get a vaccine that our own province/government doesn't think we need. That's how much we care about getting vaccinated to help protect our students and their families from Covid.  
 
Edited by Starhc, 2021-04-29 20:42:35

It is good to see enhanced eligibility and greater vaccine availability, it’s still too slow but can’t to much about that now.  
My wife and I were lucky and grateful to receive the Astra Zeneca vaccine at our local pharmacy a week ago today, we thought we might have to wait longer. It took some work and calling around , was put on a waiting list at one site but was offered an appointment locally. Very grateful. You have to keep trying for appointments and hang in there although it is a frustrating process.

First of all I want to say that you have the right to voice your opinion, disgust, disappointment! Second, I would not be too happy if I was told I had to cross the border in order to be vaccinated!  
The government at all levels want us all to be vaccinated, well, make it easy on us! There should be more options to get the shot. Your doctor's office, any pharmacy and there have been pop up vaccinations sites for some areas. Why not more?  
Sometimes the decisions our province has made make me shake my head! But we do try to follow and I think we've been doing pretty good.  
The one I'm not happy about is that I can't sit on my neighbour's step to have a chat! Is that breaking a health care order when I'm sitting so far away from my neighbour? But all thru the pandemic I see the different people staying days/weeks at someone else's home!  
Anyway, hope that you get the vaccination soon, hope all the teachers that want the shot get it ASAP and close to where they live!  
Take care

Teachers are saying "Where we work, we 'GATHER' (like we're not supposed to) in LARGE GROUPS (20-60 exposures a day) and spend the day in CLOSE PROXIMITY to LOTS OF PEOPLE. Most of them with no masks on. “  
 
Just wondering what teachers you are talking to? At my kids school, they still have to wear a mask all day every day. What teachers are you referring to that are in contact with most people that have “no masks on?” This is news to me

Any teacher who is teaching grades K-2 will be around maskless children all day every day as it’s not a mandate for that age group.

Teachers don't HAVE to go across the border for their vaccine. It's simply an option to perhaps get it a bit sooner. Some may take advantage, some will wait and get it up here.

You say that grocery store clerks don’t have control of who they come in contact with? Teachers don’t either. Teachers are forced into multiple bubbles every day for 5.5 hours. These aren’t brief encounters as you pay for your groceries. Teachers also have no control over who is in their classroom, and who those families have been in contact with. Factor in most kids have a sibling in the school - now you’ve doubled your contacts. Oh, a teachers child in your class? Make that tripled. Now throw in a sub shortage and teachers are pulled on their preps to sub in other classrooms, now you’re in another bubble. In one week alone, I subbed in 4 other classrooms in my school because there are no subs. Teachers bubbles are who their students families choose to have in their bubbles as well, and not by choice. Not all people are compliant with health orders.  
 
PERSONALLY, I teach in a school. I am under the age of 30, and I am at high risk of complications if I were to contract covid. Do I have a choice but to go to work every day in my unmasked 2nd grade classroom? Nope, I have bills to pay and a family to feed. Every time I have a child at home sick, or their parent awaiting test results, I get anxiety about the what if. I don’t live or work in a “high risk community” here in Brandon, I am stuck waiting until vaccines open to the general population OR Pallister says I can give up one of my two days off, find child care for my kid, and drive to North Dakota just so I can feel safe in my classroom and hopefully not contract covid to the point where I leave my child without a parent, because if I get covid, they say that I am at higher risk of that happening...

The director of communications of ND health department has zero knowledge of Pallister's plan to immunize teachers down there.

What age group or area of province or profession is put on the eligibility list there is always those left out to play the waiting game .  
Always those that think they should be prioritized over others, I think Manitoba’s rollout is far far better then a lot of the provinces,  
Plenty of people under 39 are patiently waiting .  
We just need to stay positive the vaccines are coming next week or so.

Teachers - I wear my medical mask from my house in the morning until I return home at the end of the day. I change masks every time I change cohorts, which is often.  
 
Students - within their cohort group, when seated 6 ft apart, do not need to wear masks. Some do. They put on masks when they get up or move around. Some forget. In my experience it is easier to wear it full time.  
 
Students - 2nd grade and lower do not wear masks.  
 
I am crazy about wearing my mask because I stay up at night worrying when I have to wait for my Covid test and all I can think about is how many kids I helped, talked to, worked closely with, etc. in a day. I do my best to keep my distance, but it is still a lot.  
 
Edited by Starhc, 2021-04-30 18:39:05

Which provinces do you think are doing better? Because according to the government website, we're dead last at getting the vaccines we have recieved into people's arms. There are other provinces falling behind, but none of them have cases rising like we are. It's getting better, finally - but the past few weeks were critical and they were really dragging their feet with the rollout when they should have been running.  
 
It's just a fact, we have supply, but no matter who gets vaccine here first or last - we just aren't as good at getting it out. I know supply was a problem in many places early on, but that is simply not the case here. For many weeks we have had an oversupply and the task force was not distributing vaccines as quickly as it could.  
 
It is getting better though - because the supersites make it easy to get a lot of people through in a day, and they are located in areas where everyone 18+ is eligible.  
 
At the same time, vaccinations have stalled completely in rural areas. There are zero popup clinics scheduled for the forseeable future. Pharmacies and medical clinics are still an option, but I do check the map daily (I am 40+) and have never found an appointment any closer than Brandon, which is a 2 hour drive for me anyway.  
 
All working people need better access. I hope as more and more vaccines arrive in the weeks to come, the government moves away from supersites and makes an effort to branch out because the 'rollout' in many, many places is lacking.  
 
I also noticed there is supposed to be a new feature where the website notifies you when you are eligible? That might be helpful as well., especially if it considers your proximity to a place where a vaccine is available.  
 
It is not helpful to expect people to hunt down their appointment like it's this year's popular Christmas toy, where those who have the most time and energy or luck will get it. That's not the same people who NEED it - they're at work. It takes a lot of time and energy and contributes to people feeling anxious, etc.

Finally got a message that there will be another round of pop-up clinics in rural areas next week. Hopefully those keep happening and increase.  
 
The messaging on the ads says that eligibility is always changing so check back if you aren't eligible now, they will vaccinate according to the requirements the day of the clinic. Of course people still need appointments and can't make one until they meet the requirements.  
 
Hopefully that means they will be dropping the age lower than 50 between then and now. But getting pop up clinics going again is good news for rural residents.

There has always been a information site for eligibility for Manitoba check it daily updates immediately when eligibility changes.  
Link:  
https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html  
 
Doctors Manitoba has link you sign up on the send you info when you are eligible  
Link:  
https://www.manitobavaccine.ca/  
 
You can also do the book online for super sites  
Set up account and easily book online when eligible  
Link:  
 
https://patient.petalmd.com/login?groupId=:6032  
 
Pharmacy appointments for Sobeys Safeway  
Link easy to use:  
 
https://www.pharmacyappointments.ca/  
 
Also protect Manitoba  
 
https://protectmb.ca/  
 
 
There are other sites too for other pharmacies.  
 
All these sites are user friendly.  
 
Edited by Mac72, 2021-05-02 09:08:29

For sharing all of those links. The sites are helpful, but for many people it doesn't get you any closer to a vaccine because the nearest clinic or pharmacy with a vaccine is 200 km away. Take Prairie Mountain, for example. There are no places to go except Brandon for a pharmacy/clinic vaccine. While I am glad to see pop-up clinics, there are only two this week for all of Prairie Mountain. (Swan River and Russell) - if you consider how many people live in those surrounding areas, and how many became eligbile since the last pop up clinic over 2 weeks ago - people throughout Prairie Mountain really need a number of clinics throughout the region that are open every day, not two places, once a week for 8 hours.  
 
I tried the doctor's website again but it doesn't ask for any information from me that would make it possible to send me an alert when I am eligible, it only determines that I am not eligible for anything but AZ. So I will need to keep checking back, I guess. If anyone knows which site/link will take down details about your age/region etc. and message you when you are eligible, I please let me know.  
 
Having the information readily available still results in 'sorry, none for you! Try back again!" so the solution is still to make vaccines more accessible to the people in large swaths of the province where vaccine appointments are scarce or don't exist. Hopefully the number of vaccination sites and dates increases as the eligibility requirements drop. By the end of this week, the province is going to have to find some way to get their massive stockpile of vaccines out to people who can't drive in to a supersite.  
 
Edited by Starhc, 2021-05-04 00:02:58

There is a map showing all pharmacies and clinics you can book vaccines . The GREEN dots are accepting appointments the RED are not .  
scroll across map to different areas..  
https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder.html  
 
 
On the Drs Manitoba link answer the questions and follow through right to the end even if you don’t qualify and then it will tell you “ you are not eligible “ and then the next question asks “if you want to be notified when you are eligible “ press yes and it will go to next page and you can fill it in. You will get a confirmation email - got mine within few minutes , then when your age is eligible you will get email informing you.  
 
https://www.manitobavaccine.ca/eligibility/  
 
I agree that only 1 super site in Western Manitoba in Brandon covers a vast area and is a a long drive for so many . They definitely need more in rural areas.  
 
Hopefully the Peace Gardens gets clinic up and is able to vaccinate school personal, I am sure there are plenty of staff in southwestern Manitoba small towns that will jump at the chance to get the shot close to their homes.  
 
Edited by Mac72, 2021-05-04 08:00:16

I see, apart from lack of sites is the ability of people to know how to access an appointment.  
The government seems to assume everyone has access to internet or news. Many older folks do not use internet and have fixed line 'phones.  
In rural areas where there is not a signal and no newspapers how do they know there is a clinic locally, how do they get there and quite importantly are they physically able to attend?  
The whole vaccine and information system has not been handled very well (my opinion). Telling me that there are x number of cases in PMH does not help. Tell me there are x cases in Minnedosa, Neepawa, Carberry etc, will allow me to avoid those areas where cases seem more prevalent.  
I'm sure a lot of people will have no clue as to how to get vaccinated and will work on the assumption, well if I need it they will advise me of where and when. They being the medical profession/government.  
Just my thoughts.

Agree 100% very well said !!

I found it incredibly easy to set up my account and book appointments on line for my family. I have several friends and family who do not have internet-some in Winnipeg, some in towns far from the super sites. None of them had any trouble booking appointments by phone. The ones in the distant towns went to pop up clinics in their towns. Yes, they did know in advance when the pop up site would be open , and they knew when to call for appointments. In many cases this is only as difficult as one chooses to make it out to be. If you have trouble finding out when a pop up site will be in a nearby town, put the word out to your friends. Surely one of them will contact you to be sure you don't miss out.

the whole point is that some folks do not have access to 'phones, internet, family or even neighbours.  
Had I not have booked appointments for my wife and myself, she, bless her, would have had not a clue. She would assume that she would be contacted to have the vaccination.  
Many folks do not know how or where to get help, some who do choose to ignore anything that is counter to their rhythm of life.  
Maybe it should have been for the Municipalities to send/deliver a card to everyone to advise of when and where and also to have a waiver signed if you do not wish to be vaccinated. Not the best solution and will not fit all circumstances but better than the mess we have now.  
Mind you, I'm still waiting for my "Free" Canada Post Cards. So perhaps hand delivered.

They new ahead of time when pop up clinic was happening in the area, that’s something maybe you could share with others.  
One if the best links I got was on eBrandon discussion here in March that was shared and I’ve shared it above had lots PM thanking me  
I know some are advertised but others are not. So if you have info that can help others share it not everyone is tec savvy.  
 
I too found it easy to book by phone and online for myself and others I’ve helped but not everyone does.  
 
Edited by Mac72, 2021-05-04 09:31:32

I keep harping on this, but my issue is there are NO green dots on wide swaths of the map. The majority of the rural population in PMH is nowhere near a green dot. Checking back many times every day yields the same result.  
 
Right now, most rural people find out about vaccine appointments or pop up sites on Facebook, because thankfully when one person in the community finds out, they post it to their community groups. So when I see an announcement, I quickly pass the information on to people who wouldn't see it otherwise. How is this an effective way to get information out?  
 
Changes and announcements happen during the day when most people who really need a vaccine are at work. People who able to be home with access to a computer can keep checking throughout the day will find out and get the appointments when they become available. People arriving home at 6 pm to check their computer will not have as much luck. At least I am fortunate enough to have a computer because that it far easier to navigate than my phone. We won't talk about how many rural communities don't have cellular service, either!!  
 
I have lost hours of my life stalking the various MB websites looking for an appointment since the AZ vaccine availability to 40+ was announced. I can only assume the process is easy once you qualify for a pop up or supersite appointment, but I may never know because I don't qualify now and I will already have my vaccine by the time I do. The pop-up clinic advertising says 'keep checking back to see if the eligibility requirements change' like everyone has time for that. It creates a lot of unnecessary anxiety. In contrast, Saskatchewan says 'the eligibility will drop to age 37 on THIS DAY' so people know what to expect and can plan/book accordingly. Why is that so hard for our government to do?  
 
That's the whole point - access is still a big problem in many areas and for many people. The government rollout depends on people to play their game of hide and seek, or be willing and able to travel long distances on short notice. 'Expanding' the vaccine rollout should i:nclude giving rural people need more sites and consistent access closer to their own communities.

Is the problem no dots whatsoever, or no green dots? If the dots are red, it could be that there's currently no stock. We're waiting on AZ delivery, which is what is going to pharmacies and medical clinics.  
 
The province has as a goal that everyone be within 1 hour's drive of a vaccine location.

The info is our there. They don't break it down by town, but region. For example, there are many cases in Porcupine Mountain (northern part of PMH), Agassiz Mountain (east of RMNP i:ncludes McCreary region) and Brandon. There are very few cases in the Asessippi region. So it's pretty easy to get a general idea of how cases are distributed.  
 
I find the easiest way to access a summary of the information is at https://mobile.twitter.com/ybrtweets. You do not need a Twitter account to view it. It's the project of a local person to automate posting government data in the interest of transparency.