COVID-19 Daily News Digest – January 17, 2020
Williams Lake chief, mayor and regional chair unite to give COVID update
“I have been proud of the non-First Nation community that surrounds the Canim Lake First Nation’s area because I have had several phone calls and none of them have been contradictory or blaming,” she added.
“They have all been Margo, if they need any help at all, please give us a phone call.”
“Some of our neighboring communities have been able to be more proactive in communicating and supporting their communities because they have the information,” he said.
“This is the only way we’re going to get ahead of this virus by being informed and being able to be prepared.”
Test positivity rate for First Nations in Manitoba more than double provincial average
“When we see the numbers that we’re seeing right now … we know there’s a lot of the virus circulating,” Dr. Marcia Anderson said during the team’s update via Facebook Live.
“It becomes more important than ever that we are very diligent with those public health measures.”
The team reported 599 new cases among First Nations people in Manitoba over the past week, with a total of 2,073 active cases.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-first-nations-covid-cases-jan-15-1.5875642
First Nation leaders share vaccine experiences online to combat hesitation, misinformation
The Lac La Ronge Indian Band councillor decided to videotape his experience so he could share it with others on social media.
“It was nice. It didn’t hurt at all,” McKenzie said. “I needed to show our people that it’s safe to take the vaccine. And it’s for us it’s to keep our people safe, healthy and we don’t want to pass on any of the virus that’s going on.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/first-nation-leaders-share-vaccine-experiences-1.5876063
Roll out of COVID-19 vaccines greeted with enthusiasm by First Nations leadership
“I am very much encouraging my 92-year-old mom to get in line as soon as (a COVID-19 vaccine) is available in her community and she’s all ready and excited about it as well,” said Leila Gillis. She is acting chief nursing officer and director general primary health care with the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).
Gillis was speaking on Jan. 14 on the weekly virtual town hall hosted by the First Nations Health Managers Association.
“Many communities are currently managing active outbreaks and had such a challenging Christmas period. I worked through it all. And there’s still evidence of community transmission in many, many jurisdictions across the country,” said Gillis.