Here's who will be among the first Manitobans eligible for their 2nd dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Manitoba has unveiled its list of priority conditions that will determine the first groups in the province to be eligible to book their second dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

People who are eligible under that listwill be ableto start booking their second dose appointments on May 22, officials said Wednesday.

The criteria laid out in the list range from having a particular medical condition to receiving certain support services.

The approach is supposed toprioritize people at risk of nothaving a sufficient immune response after just one dose of a two-dose vaccine, Dr. Joss Reimer, the medical director of Manitoba's vaccine task force, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

People who are receiving certain medications, treatments or services are among those first up.

The list posted on the province's website includesthose getting hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, B cell therapies (such as rituximab and ocrelizumab), cyclophosphamide, alemtuzumab or calcineurin inhibitors (such as cyclosporine andtacrolimus).

It also includes people getting chronic dose prednisone (as long as it's at least 20 mg a day), mycophenolate or JAK inhibitors (such as tofacitinib).

Those who have received a solid organ transplant (or are on the list to get one) and people who have gotten either a stem cell transplant or CAR-T therapy at least three months ago will also be among the first eligible for their second vaccine dose.

People with cancers, including solid tumours and blood cancers likeleukemia or lymphoma, who are getting or will get chemotherapy, immunosuppressive therapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors (such as nivolumab or pembrolizumab) will also be eligible.

Those receiving certain support services will also be among the first to qualify for their second dose appointments.

That includes people who gethome care services at least four times a week or those who get24/7 supports from Community Living Disability Services (or equivalent levels of family support, as determined by a family physician).

A small list of other diagnoses are also included in the new criteria: liver cirrhosis (due to any cause), portal hypertension, severe heart failure, Down syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Later priority for second dose appointments willbe decided based on when people got their first shot, the province has previously said.

As of Tuesday, Manitoba had already administered more than 78,000 second doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to provincial data.

The province decided in early March to delay second doses of vaccines, in order to get first doses administered more quickly.

As of Wednesday, all adults in Manitoba are eligible to book a first vaccination appointment.

Manitoba's second dose vaccine campaign is expected to wrap up by the end of July.