COVID-19 Daily News Digest – January 13, 2020
The N.W.T.’s top doc on why you shouldn’t hesitate to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Others wonder why the North — where there are relatively few cases compared to provinces — has been designated a high priority to get the vaccines.
Kandola said the reason is because of the limited health resources the North has, and the housing insecurity experienced by many across the territories. She said that poses a risk of an outbreak in our small, remote communities, like the rapid spread we saw in Arviat late last year.
She said the early adoption of restrictions in N.W.T. played a significant role in helping keep the number of cases relatively low.
“That means people are less likely to see the urgency of getting vaccinated,” Kandola added.
Consent will be important as COVID-19 vaccine delivery to remote First Nations picks up in Ontario
“I called [Margaret] because I wanted her to have this conversation with our mom about the vaccine and that my mom needed to give her consent in order to receive the vaccine.
“I think my mom recognized the importance of this … and why it’s important that when a vaccine became available, that she was willing to receive it … just thinking about her own family and her own grandkids and her children. She wants to see them and she wants to live and be free of this virus,” Fiddler said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/nwo-fn-vaccinations-1.5869750
Indigenous communities impacted by COVID-19
“Housing, poverty, access to water, have really impacted health outcomes.”
Dr. Mandy Buss from the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada discusses how Indigenous Canadians are being affected by COVID-19.
https://globalnews.ca/video/7570875/indigenous-communities-impacted-by-covid-19
Nearly 200 more of Manitoba’s First Nations people contract COVID-19
According to the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team (PRCT), there were 195 new cases among the province’s First Nation population from Jan. 8 to 11. The PRCT noted that 71 of these cases were from people living on reserve and 124 were from people living off-reserve.
This brings the total number of active cases among the First Nations population to 2,092, which accounts for 61 per cent of Manitoba’s active cases.
COVID-19 Health Care Tools Being Distributed to Indigenous Communities in Bemidji
“Simple equipment can help people stay healthy at home, save lives and make a real difference,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “This a smart, targeted approach to support Indigenous communities in Minnesota.”
Data shows that American Indians have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 infections and fatalities during the pandemic. They have the highest percentages hospitalized (16%), admitted to the ICU (6%), and deaths (4%) due to COVID-19 compared to other racial and ethnic communities.
‘Trailblazer’ Ojibway musician Shingoose dies of COVID-19 at 74
Shingoose, who is Ojibway from Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation, had been living at the Southeast Personal Care Home in Winnipeg for the last decade, Nahanni Shingoose said from her home in Hamilton, Ont.
Shingoose rose to popularity in the late 1960s, releasing three albums and recording with the likes of Bruce Cockburn. In 2012, he was inducted into the Manitoba Music Hall of Fame and four years later, he was a part of a Grammy-nominated album Native North America Volume 1.
Indigenous Services Canada news conference on COVID-19
Marc Miller, minister of Indigenous services, Valerie Gideon, associate deputy minister of Indigenous Services Canada, and Dr. Tom Wong, its chief medical officer of public health, will hold a news conference to provide an update on COVID-19.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1843409475622
First Nations say communication, proactivity key in successful management of COVID-19
“We were the first First Nation in Alberta to have an on-reserve isolation centre,” Robb said. “Every other disaster we’ve ever had, be it fire or flood, they tend to be quite localized and help can come from all over the province or around the world, but obviously this is something quite unique . . . Everyone’s almost on their own so we had to identify the issues and take action.”
Open lines of communication with the provincial government and AHS, including Premier Jason Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, were “extremely supportive and helpful to us,” Robb said.
“We have also shared a lot of information with other nations like Tsuut’ina . . . Because we are pretty close to each other, we have a lot of travel between the two nations, a lot of family connections,” Crawford said, adding the nation also works closely with the Calgary Emergency Management Agency and the towns of Cochrane and Banff.
B.C. First Nation faces COVID-19 outbreak; community leaders issue racism warnings
“Not a second later once COVID-19 ran in our community, the racist remarks and discriminatory actions started to take shape in the Duncan and Cowichan Tribes community,” Thompson said in an interview.
He said he is disappointed with the response of some community members.
“Whether it’s pre-COVID or mid-COVID or post-COVID, that kind of racism, discrimination, is always disheartening,” said Thompson.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/b-c-first-nation-faces-212057555.html