Manitoba goes from 'COVID Capital' to a vaccine capital

Manitoba's Premier says the province is seeing success in its vaccine efforts, making Manitoba a Canadian leader in vaccinations.

According to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data, Canada is topping the charts in first dose vaccinations. In Canada, Manitoba's Premier Brian Pallister says the prairie province is taking that lead.

"Manitoba's ranking on 18-years-old and up across Canada for vaccination levels on doses administered per one hundred thousand people, so relative to our patriots across the country, we rank first in Canada. And on doses 12 and up we rank first in Canda as well," the Premier says Tuesday.

As of Friday, 75.33 per cent of all eligible Canadians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine. In Manitoba, that number is 73.2 per cent.

"Our number one priority in this province as it is across our country and I think around the world is to protect and safeguard the health and wellbeing of people. We want to do that the best we can and the best way to do that is roll up our sleeves and get vaccinated," Pallister says in a Tuesday morning press conference.

Supersites have been a large contributor to the high rates of vaccination. Part of this has been achieved by walk-in appointments at these sites and pop-ups.

A new community grant established in previous weeks by the province is encouraging Manitoban community groups to reach out to their members to host events to educate or give vaccines. Last week, St. Amant, a nonprofit for Manitobans who have autism and development issues, hosted the province's first drive-in vaccination clinic.

"There are thousands of Manitoba who are open to getting a vaccine, that would be ready to get a vaccine, I am just not the guy to persuade them," Pallister says while standing on St. Amant's Spirit Cottage Grounds in Winnipeg. "Perhaps you are. The person in their neighbourhood,  the person they attend church with, the person they volunteer within a community organization of some kind."

Dozens of other organizations will join in the efforts by hosting these clinics for communities such as youth living on the street.

Grants for over 25 organizations to host events like education BBQs for those without internet have been given, totalling $390,000.