Manitoba must shift vaccine strategy to ensure BIPOC people protected: Dr. Anderson

New data suggests basing vaccination on age rather than other risk factors likely contributed to more severe COVID-19 outcomes among people of colourand that means public health officials must shift their strategy going forward, Dr. Marcia Anderson says.

Anderson, thepublic health lead of the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team, unveiled new race-based data at Monday's COVID-19 press conference alongside the chief provincial health officer and made a number of recommendations for future vaccination campaigns.

She said public health leads made a crucial error when planning the vaccine rollout.

"We were assuming that a 60 year-old African or South Asian person had the same risk as a 60-year-old white person," Anderson said.

Data suggested certain ethnic groups were at much higher risk of contracting the virus than white Manitobansbecause of lower income levels, higher rates of overcrowdedhousing and jobs with more contact with the public.

WATCH | Key takeaways from new data of impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC people:

Dr. Marcia Anderson shares key takeaways from new data on impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC peoples

3 years ago

Duration 1:48

Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead for the First Nations pandemic response co-ordination team, highlights some of the conclusions from newly released data on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC peoples in Manitoba.

Southeast Asian Manitobans, for instanceincluding ethnic Vietnamese, Lao, Thai andCambodian people hadCOVID-19case rates 21.7 times those of white Manitobans from March 31 to June 7, according to Anderson's presentation.

African Manitobans had infection rates8.7 times the rate of white Manitobans.

"When data on people admitted to ICU only was considered, the admission rate was over four times higher for BIPOC peoples than it was for white people, and the average age was 10 years younger," she said.

However, because of the age-basedrollout,younger people of colour who had similar health outcomes as white people ten or more years older than themhad to wait weekslonger to be eligible for a vaccine.

WATCH | Dr. Anderson on the social determinants of health:

Dr. Marcia Anderson explains how social determinants of health impact COVID-19 risk and outcomes

3 years ago

Duration 2:25

Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead for the First Nations pandemic response co-ordination team, explains social determinants of health during a presentation Monday on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among BIPOC groups in Manitoba.

Dr. Brent Roussin said the vaccine task force altered the vaccine rollout based on evidence coming in, but there were some roadblocks along the way.

"One of the most dramatic risk factors was age and that's how things were rolled out at first. As we saw more and more risk factors and we got more and more vaccine in, we were able to do some more of those targeted interventions," he said.

Anderson says thevaccinationcampaign for the duration of the pandemic and in the future should beconcentrated on areas where coverage is the lowest, with more community partnerships.

But that also includes addressing some ongoing social issues that contribute to poor health outcomes.

"Vaccination alone is not sufficient to address gaps in health that are rooted in structural causes, including employment or housing-related issues," Anderson said.

Expecta plan, critic says

Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew says not addressing these issues "impacts all of us."

"Until we do that, we're not going to have as healthy and as prosperous a society as we could achieve," he said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Health critic and Union Station MLA Uzoma Asagwara says the premier and the minister of health need to create a plan as soon as possible to address the inequities and social determinants of health outlined inAnderson's presentation.

"Tomorrow all Manitobans should be eagerly expecting a plan from the premier and the minister of health because they've had this information for an adequate, a substantial amount of time in order to make sure that one is in place," Asagwara said.

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