COVID-19 Daily News Digest – January 5th, 2021
Remote Nuu-chah-nulth nations receive Moderna vaccine
Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nations, Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Ehattesaht First Nation, Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, Nuuchatlaht First Nation and Ahousaht First Nation were selected as some of the first Indigenous communities to receive the vaccine, said Jeanette Watts, manager of nursing services for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC).
Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor Robert Dennis is among those who received the vaccine today and said that he feels “comfortable” with that responsibility.
“We want to lead by example,” he said. “If there’s something that we can do to stop the spread, we’re willing to be front and centre to ensure that it gets done.”
The Trans Mountain project faces a year of challenges and opportunity
Trans Mountain ended 2020 on a relative high note. Construction accelerated as the worksite COVID-19 caseload remained relatively low, and the existing pipeline also remained full. Trans Mountain’s CEO Ian Anderson said that, coming off a bleak year for the industry — when a bottle of olive oil was worth more than a barrel of Canadian oil — the project’s performance was a surprise.
“I fully expected to lose some volume but we didn’t,” Anderson told CBC News in a year-end interview.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trans-mountain-pipeline-covid-pandemic-indigenous-1.5859045
B.C. restricts pipeline, dam restarts due to COVID-19 risk
“This increase has resulted in a increased numbers of clusters of people with COVID-19, outbreaks of COVID-19, the transmission of COVID-19 to surrounding communities, including Indigenous communities, increasing risk of hospitalization, intensive care admissions and deaths in the Northern Health region,” the order states. “It is challenging for public health officials to respond to cases, clusters and outbreaks of infection at remote worksites and industrial camps, and a high volume of cases taxes the capacity of the Northern Health Authority public health system to carry out contact tracing.”
Vaccine partnership building bridges between First Nations and Manitoba
“The successful collaboration between the province and First Nations health experts and representatives will ensure equitable access to vaccination treatments for all Manitobans,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, medical officer of health, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living in a press release.
“Our shared priority is to distribute vaccine doses, beginning with the Moderna vaccine to protect vulnerable First Nations populations in northern and remote regions of the province.”
First Nations in Quebec implement stricter public health measures as COVID-19 cases climb
It’s not the fact that there are new cases that are bothersome, to me, it’s the amount of contacts that there are for these cases,” said Lisa Westaway, a member of Kahnawake’s COVID-19 task force.
Kahnawake, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community south of Montreal, reported nine active cases Monday including two staff members at its elders lodge.
According to the latest data from Indigenous Services Canada, there have been a total of 247 cases of COVID-19 in First Nations across the province since Jan. 2, with over 70 of those cases being reported in the last two weeks.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/first-nations-quebec-covid-19-1.5860919
Alberta COVID-19 test positivity rate hits two-month low; ‘estimated’ 400 new cases
The 400 new infections, the fewest since Oct. 27, came from about 8,100 tests, a significant drop in testing Hinshaw said was due to fewer Albertans being swabbed on New Year’s Day. The scenario mirrored the previous Sunday’s update, when 500 new cases came from only about 6,900 tests.
“Please note: fewer people were tested Jan. 1 so fewer tests were processed and reported on Jan. 2,” Hinshaw said on Twitter.
Moderna vaccine brings relief to remote First Nation that battled COVID-19 cluster
“Our family household celebrated this on Dec. 27, which was also my wife Georgina’s birthday, who said being COVID-free was the best gift.”
Plus, Island Health and the First Nations Health Authority informed Klahoose First Nation, which has 90 members, that it would likely receive Moderna vaccines by the first week of January.
B.C. First Nation on lockdown after cluster of COVID-19 cases discovered
The Snuneymuxw First Nation, located in the mid-island near Nanaimo, announced the cluster and the lockdown on New Year’s Day, after a single case was detected in the community in late December.
“Due to the rapid spread of the virus in our community and the high number of people identified as at risk, we are focused to significantly reduce the rate of transmission,” Wyse said in his written message. “You can help protect our community by abiding by the order to stay at home.”
YELLOWKNIFER MARCH 2020 REVIEW: Social distancing in the outdoors
The COVID-19-related restrictions saw most shops closed and almost all public events canceled. But Yellowknifers couldn’t resist leaving their homes, tugging on their boots (or skis) and enjoying outdoor activities under a bright sky. With the Yellowknife Ski Club offering free skiing on its trails, and the still-frozen ice on Yellowknife Bay a flat playground for all ages, residents found their own ways to break out of hunkering down and to have fun.