Thread by @ScottBilleck

MB COVID UPDATE JULY 5:
- 65 new
- 56,482 total
- 1,022 active
- 1,151 deaths
- 150 hosp., 40 ICU
- 54,309 rcv
- 837,004 tst
- 1,126 YDA
- TP 6.3%

* There is no VOC update on Sundays and Mondays.

New cases:

Winnipeg - 35
Prairie Mountain - 11
Interlake-Eastern - 9
Southern - 5
Northern - 5

First-dose uptake - 74.8%
Second-dose uptake - 50.2%

Very likely we hit the August long weekend vaccine threshold today (reported tomorrow).

New deaths (over the weekend):

Saturday:
M60s - Winnipeg (Alpha)

Sunday:
M40s - Winnipeg (Alpha)
M80s - Winnipeg (Alpha)

Monday:
M70s - Southern (Alpha)

Winnipeg TP rate is 6.1%

Six Manitobans remain in ICUs in Ontario.

39 repatriated.
0 new transfers (no new ones since June 9)

Dr. Roussin talking about a post-pandemic Manitoba, says looking at other jurisdictions, he feels this one's days are numbered.

Roussin says a post-pandemic Manitoba will not have daily reports on statistics.

He also says there will be no public health restrictions once we get there.

Roussin says strain on health-care system still exists, but says numbers are falling.

Continue to track delta variant. New modelling coming, Roussin says. Being worked on at the moment.

Dr. Marcia Anderson, medical lead, Pandemic Response Coordination Team, now speaking.

Province showing some slides now on BIPOC statistics.

Anderson says the gap in cases between all BIPOC communities and those who identify as white has grown since December.

Anderson said that means BIPOC communities were even more over-represented in COVID-19 infections.

Anderson says more BIPOC people were isolating, slowing the vaccination efforts in those communities.

Some members of BIPOC communities felt stigmatized by messages that people in hospital did something wrong, not following health orders, not getting tested or not getting vaccinated.

(This stigma was initially promoted by the province, including the premier.)

Hospitalizations rate was 3.5 times higher in BIPOC communities.

They also were eligible for vaccine 23 days later than the average white person admitted to hospital.

White people: 64% of the population and 38.7% of hospitalizations between March 31-June 7.

BIPOC: 36% of population but 61.3% of hospitalizations.

Rate of non-ICU admissions was 3.33 times higher for BIPOC.

Earliest date of protection for white people: April 26

Earliest date of protection for BIPOC: May 19.

BIPOC people were more likely to be employed in high-risk settings.

BIPOC patients were younger. BIPOC people had highest infections rates.

Anderson on the data:

reliance on age-based vaccinations likely led to vaccine gap for BIPOC.

Fourth wave planning needs to prioritize public health interventions that address structural barriers to minimize the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC people.

Why the 10+ year age gap for vaccination?

They assumed a 60-year-old BIPOC person had same risk as the same 60-year-old white person.

Could be interpreted that age for BIPOC could be 45 by comparison.

(Sounds similar to how the First Nations rollout happened)

Why didn't the province respond to this?

Roussin says limited supply and limited data at the beginning.

Age was the broadest way to address risk factors.

Roussin says MB learned lessons from this.

new modelling data with delta variant included likely in the
"upcoming weeks" Roussin says.

Roussin says the province is trending toward a post-pandemic Manitoba, where there were be recommendations but not restrictions, including mask use.

He says the recommendation will likely be to continue to do so, but requirement will lift.

Roussin says appropriate to have exemption for children under 12 as long as parents are fully vaccinated.

Low risk of transmission and severe outcomes as well.

Roussin says there was no intent to stigmatize. Difficult balance between messaging and stigmatizing. Said it was risk-communication.

presser over.