Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 13, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A1 CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: SNOW. HIGH -5 - LOW -23 � SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020 FOUNDED IN 1872 INSIDE UNCERTAIN TIMES Limited resources for refugees who arrived in Canada just before pandemic hit / A4 BIDEN'S CLIMATE VOW U.S. president-elect vows to rejoin Paris climate accord on first day in office / A4 MUSICAL PIONEER DIES Country-music legend Charley Pride died of COVID at 86 Saturday / A2 BREXIT BREAKUP BLUES Britain's negotiations to leave the EU have been anything but smooth / A7 Pizza champ perseveres Tommy's serving gourmet pies throughout pandemic A10 DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ICE ON THE WAY Aaron Shand, a volunteer at Riverview Community Centre, works on flooding the centre's two rinks Saturday. If the cold weather co-operates, Shand says the ice will be ready in less than a week. The latest pandemic health orders allow skating and other activities outdoors in groups of five or fewer, with a distance of at least two metres from anyone outside of their households. A BOUT 900 health-care work-ers in Manitoba will be the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines as a high-priority population, starting this week. Kicking off the "unprecedented im- munization campaign," the province announced health-care staff must work in direct contact with patients and meet additional age-based criteria to be eligible for the first doses of the vaccine. Supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech doses are limited, however, and suc- cessful inoculation hinges on the com- plicated process in which doses will be delivered from province to province. "By protecting Manitoba's health- care workers, we are helping to pro- tect our entire health-care system and the patients they care for," Premier Brian Pallister said in a statement early Saturday. "We know it will take time for every Manitoban to be immunized, but we are ready to make that happen as quickly and safely as possible." Those wishing to get vaccinated can make appointments by phone, as of this weekend. Eligible staffers include peo- ple working in critical-care units, born on or before Dec. 31, 1970; working in acute care and long-term care facili- ties, born on or before Dec. 31, 1960; or assigned to COVID-19 immuniza- tion clinics. From Wednesday to Friday, Dec. 16 to Dec. 18, vaccinations will take place at the University of Manitoba's Rady Faculty of Health Sciences campus on McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg. That means Manitoba health-care workers outside the capital city, who meet the eligibility criteria and are able to secure an appointment, will have to find a way to travel to the im- munization clinic before early doses run out - showing up first next week, and then for a second dose in January 2021. The whole process is expected to take around 30 to 45 minutes, with a 0.3-ml shot into the muscle of an arm. Individuals must also wait for 15 minutes afterwards in the post- immunization observation area before they leave. Dr. Anand Kumar, an intensive care physician with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and professor of medicine at the U of M, told the Free Press he's "disappointed" about the "lack of mobility and stability" with the vaccine's distribution requirements. It also remains to be seen, he said, how enthusiastic the priority group will be about getting the vaccine - which is 95 per cent effective after a second dose, per trial runs, with long-term immunity currently being evaluated. Health workers first in line Province to start coronavirus immunizations Wednesday TEMUR DURRANI HEALTH Canada warned Saturday that people allergic to ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccine should forego getting the shots, days before inocu- lations are scheduled to begin. The federal agency's warning comes after two people in the United Kingdom suffered severe reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and recovered. Both had histories of se- vere allergic reactions and carried epi-pens, Health Canada said in a written statement. "Health Canada has reviewed the available evidence and has conclud- ed the current (prescribing infor- mation) and available public health guidance are appropriate, and is not recommending any changes to the product's use at this time," the statement reads, adding it will take action if any new safety issues are confirmed. It is warning those with severe allergies should talk to their doctors before receiving a shot. "In Canada, all vaccines carry a warning about the risk of serious allergic reactions, including anaphy- laxis," the release said. "Immuniza- tion clinics are equipped to manage these rare events." Quebec's Health Department has said it plans to start vaccinat- ing residents of two long-term care homes - one in Montreal and one in Quebec City - on Monday, while several other provinces are set to begin vaccinating health-care work- ers on Tuesday and Wednesday. As it stands, Canadian soldiers are preparing for the vaccine's arrival, Procurement Minister Anita Anand said on Twitter. She tweeted photos of soldiers loading a large box onto a plane, which her press secretary said contained vaccine freezers destined for the North. Cases of COVID-19 were up significantly again across Canada on Saturday. Nationally, 6,772 infec- tions were reported from 81,481 completed tests on Friday, for a positivity rate of 8.3 per cent. Health Canada warns of allergy risk with COVID vaccine JACOB SEREBRIN ? VACCINE CONTINUED ON A4 ? FIRST IN LINE CONTINUED ON A3 LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER ? MORE COVERAGE ON A3-5 A_01_Dec-13-20_FP_01.indd A1 2020-12-12 10:28 PM ;