Accessing third shot ‘clear as mud’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/09/2021 (1473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the provincial government announced Wednesday that immunocompromised individuals and travellers would have access to a third dose of an mRNA vaccine, Kimberlee Moffat, an immunocompromised Minnedosa resident, was somewhat relieved.

“This third shot would have been able to bring me up to everybody else’s level,” she said. “If I go to the store, I might just get a cold. The vaccine is my chance to stay alive,” Moffat said.

Moffat, 40, received a liver transplant in August 2012 after suffering for four years from autoimmune hepatitis, a debilitating liver disease.

Two children, a husband and a life later, Moffat has been forced to quit her job as a health-care aide because she doesn’t have the strength to work. She has a home-based business where she does drop-off and pickup on her back step.

There are days she stays in her pyjamas because she doesn’t have the energy to dress.

“I’m always sick. My sick is different from anybody else’s sick,” she said.

That relief was short-lived as she attempted to book her third shot of the Pfizer vaccine and couldn’t locate a pharmacy or doctor’s office equipped to administer the third shot.

As Minnedosa does not have a pharmacy offering the mRNA vaccines, Moffat had to look outside the community to locate a vaccine site that administered third doses.

She had no luck.

Since Moffat received the AstraZeneca shot the first time and a Pfizer shot the second time, she wants her third shot to be Pfizer as well.

She called the provincial phone number to book an appointment. She tried booking her shot online. She couldn’t. Supersites are not administering third doses. Moffat contacted her doctor’s office to book her Pfizer shot. They weren’t aware of the changes, she said.

As of Friday, Moffat was still unable to book a third shot. “I still cannot book an appointment; no doctors or pharmacies have the Pfizer shot available.

“The government says stuff at the top but, any of the fallout happens at the bottom.”

The Sun reached out to the Vaccine Implementation Task Force’s provincial government spokesperson for comment regarding third vaccine availability to the immunocompromised at doctor’s offices and pharmacies. The Sun also asked which vaccines were available in those locations. As well, the Sun asked if an immunocompromised individual did not want to mix their vaccines, what, if any, were the consequences?

This was their response.

“The best option may be for the person to use our vaccine finder online at Province of Manitoba Vaccine Finder. They can set the criteria of what they’re looking for, in terms of type of vaccine (AstraZeneca or mRNA), and the type of provider (pharmacy, medical clinic, pop-up clinic, supersite, etc). We identify mRNA, but not specifically whether it’s Pfizer or Moderna, so the person may need to connect with their nearest provider to determine what they have in stock.”

The Sun tested Moffat’s theory that access to the third shot of mRNA vaccine, specifically the Pfizer vaccine, isn’t easy to locate.

The Sun attempted to locate pharmacies and medical clinics offering those vaccines on the vaccine finder website: www.manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/finder, as recommended by the government spokesperson.

The Sun contacted the five pharmacies listed on the vaccine shot finder in the Brandon area who are listed as having the mRNA vaccine.

One pharmacy did not offer the Pfizer vaccine and only offered the AstraZeneca vaccine with a doctor’s prescription. The website indicated that mRNA vaccines were in stock.

Another pharmacy was not administering a third dose, even though it was listed as a vaccine site on the web and required a doctor’s prescription to receive the first and second doses of the mRNA vaccine.

The third pharmacy listed on the website was actually a medical centre. They did not have Moderna or Pfizer vaccines and the receptionist recommended contacting the on-site pharmacy. That phone number was not listed on the vaccine finder’s site.

The fourth pharmacy contacted did offer Pfizer and Moderna third doses to immunocompromised people. An appointment wasn’t required and a walk-in service was offered. It is recommended to call ahead to verify if your condition is covered by the third dose criteria laid out by the provincial government.

The fifth pharmacy contacted did offer a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to immunocompromised individuals. They required a doctor’s prescription and an appointment booked online.

At the two medical clinics listed on the vaccine finder website in Brandon, it indicated that both offered an mRNA vaccine and that the vaccines were in stock.

The receptionist at the first medical centre, which was listed as a pharmacy, said they did not have Moderna or Pfizer vaccines and had no knowledge of a third shot offered at their facility. They suggested contacting the on-site pharmacy, whose phone number was not listed on the vaccine finder site.

The second medical clinic didn’t have Pfizer vaccines in stock and wouldn’t until next week. It’s unclear if they offered Moderna vaccines.

There is no pharmacy in Minnedosa that offers vaccines, The Sun verified. However, a pharmacy in Neepawa that isn’t listed on the vaccine finder site does offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and was offering appointments as long as the immunocompromised person fell within government guidelines.

The process is daunting, especially for someone who is exhausted from being immunocompromised.

Moffat said the provincial government should have thought twice before announcing “something they can’t provide. They’re giving lip service. They haven’t thought this through.

“I get it, but why aren’t you listening to the people who are affected the most?” she said.

“Quit making it so difficult. If you say third shots are available, make them available. It’s as clear as mud and not easy to find.”

» kkielley@brandonsun.com