COVID-19 Daily News Digest – August 26, 2020
Measure the risk of airborne COVID-19 in your office, classroom, or bus ride
A recent modeling effort may help provide some clues. Led by Jose-Luis Jimenez at the University of Colorado Boulder, the charts below estimate the riskiness of different activities based on one potential route of coronavirus spread: itty-bitty particles known as aerosols.
COVID-19 and schools reopening: Now is the time to embrace outdoor education
Education that is based outdoors is not a new idea — neither is learning about our relationships to the land.
Indigenous Elders teach that the land is our first teacher. Anishnaabe associate professor and educator Nicole Bell, who teaches in the school of education at Trent University, shares with teacher candidates that it is from the land that we can gain an understanding of our relationships to each other and all other plants and creatures.
Ottawa giving $82.5M for Indigenous mental health support during COVID-19
Miller says the funding will support access to additional services, transitioning some to virtual platforms and supporting Indigenous partners in developing new ways to address substance use and to improve access to treatment. He says the news funds are a response to the advocacy of many Indigenous leaders who have pushed for enhanced mental wellness supports.
Post-Pandemic Canada: “At the Mercy of the Indian Race”?
The best thing Canada can do today to ensure that blockades and other desperate measures don’t become routine, and to reinforce the country’s tenuous increase in public support for Indigenous rights, is to formally and explicitly renounce the doctrine of discovery. If this is unachievable, then at least in pursuit of honesty, the government, the courts, and Canadians in general ought to explain forthrightly why they still believe that this doctrine continues to have merit. Anything less can only guarantee the persistence of the long-tortured relations with Indigenous nations that are Canada’s legacy.
Recovering from Covid-19 “doesn’t mean you are immunized for life,” researcher warns
Yesterday, preliminary research found that a 33-year-old man in Hong Kong had contracted Covid-19 twice this year, having fallen ill 142 days after being infected the first time.”Even if you have recovered from a natural infection, it doesn’t mean you are immunized for life,” he said. “This virus is very smart, it keeps on mutating. So that means even though you recovered from a natural infection, you still need vaccination, need a mask, and keep your social distancing.”
IRC’s Indigenous Guardians project sees successful first year
Covid-19 resulted in the cancellation of many training activities. Ruben expects completion of those to begin once the NWT reaches phase three of its pandemic recovery plan, expected once a second wave of the disease has been and gone in southern Canada.
At that point, he said, “we can eventually start looking into getting our monitors trained in what they need to be trained for each community, building capacity and ensuring that they have the right certificates.”
National research project to probe racism in health care amid COVID-19 pandemic
A new research project will look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialized communities as well as existing biases in the health-care system.
“We plan to share findings of this data collection, informed by this engagement,” David Jensen said in an email. He said the ministry is concerned about the spread of the virus in “certain groups of people and in certain neighbourhoods,” and would welcome additional insights and information about how COVID-19 is affecting racialized communities.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/racism-healthcare-covid-pandemic-canada-1.5699710
Feds will help First Nations schools guard against COVID-19: Miller
Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox said the organization has asked for $33 million to pay for personal protective equipment and sanitization supplies, but was told its plans are too “far-reaching.” And he warned this could mean delaying the start of the school year in its 49 member First Nation communities — many remote and without the reliable internet infrastructure needed for online learning.
‘It just feels like they’re forgotten’: Navajo women mobilize to protect elders
“A lot of our elders on the reservations don’t have reliable transportation,” said Whitehair, 39. “A lot of them are home alone. They’re widowed. Sometimes, it just feels like they’re forgotten.”
Across the U.S., the 65 or older population increased to 52.4 million in 2018 from 38.8 million in 2008, and it’s projected to reach 94.7 million in 2060, according to the Administration for Community Living. The agency, which includes the Administration on Aging, is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.nhonews.com/news/2020/aug/25/it-just-feels-theyre-forgotten-navajo-women-mobili/
STEM kit program helps First Nations Youth learn outside the classroom
The kits include activity books, work sheets and innovative challenges that can be worked on independently, with family or even with others in the community.
“Being out of school is never ideal for these kids and the biggest part of the school is the social interaction that they’re getting,” he said. “But if we can provide the types of activities that keep them intellectually engaged and having fun… it helps mitigate some of the social challenges that they are going to be having or they are having as a result of being away from school.”
Moderna vaccine trial lacks Black, Latinx and Indigenous participants
The lack of diversity among participants reflects a long-standing obstacle and concern among health experts about drug trials. And while diversity in clinical trials is always essential, it’s even more vital in developing an effective COVID-19 vaccine, because the coronavirus has disproportionately affected minority communities.
“It’s important that all clinical trials – not just vaccine trials – reflect the populations that will use the product or therapy in the real world,” said Bunny Ellerin, director of the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program at Columbia Business School.
As Indigenous language classes move online, students discover new ways to connect with elders
The program was intended to be land-based, Child told CBC’s All Points West listeners Tuesday. But students can no longer connect with elders in person, meaning all communication has to be done over the computer.
For instance, explained Child, if a student wants to learn about the traditional language associated with smoking fish, they might make a short video of the curing process and then share it with the elder, who can then explain the correct language that accompanies the act, as well as its significance.