Residents of southern Manitoba will have the opportunity next week to raise their questions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines, and get answers from trusted local doctors. Doctors Manitoba is giving Manitobans this chance through a series of virtual town halls.
“There’s a lot of information circulating about the COVID-19 vaccines, some accurate and some misleading,” said Dr. Curtis Krahn, a Steinbach family doctor participating in the town halls. “You have trusted us in the past with your health care needs, and now we’re asking you to trust that we are sharing current and reliable information about the vaccines with you. We want to respond to your questions and concerns, so you can make a fully informed decision about getting the vaccine.”
The town halls will be broadcast live on YouTube, and individuals may submit questions in advance by visiting www.manitobavaccine.ca. Questions may also be asked live during the events.
The first town hall will take place on Monday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. Although it will be targeted at residents from Morden and Winkler, and include family doctors from those communities, any resident of southern Manitoba is invited to participate. Individuals will be able to submit their own questions.
The second town hall, aimed at youth and parents, will take place on Tuesday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. The third, open to all Manitobans, will be on June 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Finally, a town hall targeted for residents of Steinbach and the southeast part of the province will close out the series on Thursday, also at 6:30 p.m.
This last event will include Dr. Chris Burnett of Niverville alongside Drs. Curtis Krahn and Dr. Jayson Barkman of Steinbach, as well as the provincial lead for family medicine Dr. José François. The town hall will be hosted by Michelle Sawatzky from AM 1250.
“As doctors, we care about the health of Manitobans and we want to share what we know about the COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr. Kristjan Thompson, President of Doctors Manitoba. “Manitobans can always get advice from their physician, and now our town halls offer another option to get the answers you need about the vaccines. These are new vaccines for a new disease, and it’s natural to have questions.”
