Immunization effort for all Manitoba First Nations communities to ramp up soon.

Those communities at most risk of flooding and fires or losing winter road access will be prioritized, so that the effort is not complicated by potential spring or summer weather events.

In total, clinics will be set up at 63 First Nations communities, six northern rural municipalities and 47 Northern Affairs communities. Northern Affairs communities include Métis, First Nations and non-Indigenous people.

„We know First Nations people in Manitoba are more at risk of COVID-19 and at younger ages. In addition, many of these communities may face evacuation due to fires and floods or have geographical issues that make it hard to get there,” said Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead of the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team.

„It’s important to get needles into arms as soon as possible and detailed planning is now underway to schedule vaccinations in these communities.”

These vaccinations will get underway in mid-March, with a goal to finish by mid-May, officials said.

In terms of the province’s overall daily report, new coronavirus cases were at a rate comparable to recent days, with 54 overall.

There are a total of 171 people battling COVID-19 in provincial hospitals, a decrease of 10 from the previous day, while the province marked its 904th coronavirus death, a woman in her 90s treated in the Winnipeg Health Region.