COVID-19 Daily News Digest – November 5th, 2020
MKO calls on province to declare uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak at Keeyask
“We are concerned about the communication being shared with people working at the Keeyask construction site,” said Settee.
“We have asked Manitoba Hydro to provide clearer, timelier communication to everyone in an effort to make it clear that there is an uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak at Keeyask. We all must take this situation very seriously.”
New crisis program for First Nations aimed at reducing suicides and overdoses
“We’re getting a couple of things,” said Mae Katt, a nurse practitioner in Thunder Bay, in a video interview. “One is a higher rate of suicides, as well as a higher rate of overdoses with the toxic drug supply. So the fact that we can have a service for members that live off-reserve as well, is one of the key services that we’re able to provide.”
Virtual townhall to celebrate Canada’s Indigenous health care workers
The three-hour online event, organized by the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA), will feature appearances by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, members of his cabinet, opposition politicians, Indigenous leaders, as well as performances by various Indigenous artists, including Buffy Sainte-Marie.
The event will also celebrate the graduation of the latest cohort of newly certified First Nations health managers, and issue this year’s excellence award, said Marion Crowe, founding executive director and CEO of the FNHMA.
Peguis First Nation trains its own members to operate COVID-19 testing site
“Now we don’t need to… wait for a testing site to come in to help us. Now we have the skill, the manpower, the training to be able to do that for our community members,” said Denise Bear, the nurse in charge of the Peguis Health Centre.
“He’s trained our nurses and they’re provided all the information on what we need to do to be able to run a site like that,” said Bear.
“And also the questions to ask if someone needs a rapid test or just a regular COVID swab.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/peguis-covid-19-testing-site-1.5789955
First Nations in Manitoba go on lockdown as the province deals with a spike in COVID cases
Pimicikamak Cree Nation initiated a critical or code red level on the province’s pandemic response system after an outbreak occurred last month.
“Right now we’re trying to stop the spread and that’s why we have the code red,” Chief David Monias told APTN News by phone.
“If you stop people from moving around you can stop that [virus] from moving around.”
First Nations demand MB Hydro temporarily shut down Keeyask site over COVID-19 outbreak
“They’ve failed severely, and look what us four Cree nations, we’re having to do their work for them. We have to step up,” he said.
Chief Doreen Spence of Tataskweyak Cree Nation said she knows of two members of her community who have tested positive and may have contracted the virus through Keeyask. One is currently in hospital.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/keeyask-first-nations-covid-19-outbreak-1.5790056
Montreal launches reconciliation strategy with First Nations
The five-year plan calls for a government-to-government relationship between the city of Montreal and First Nations. It also recommends that Montreal showcase the Indigenous presence by highlighting Aboriginal cultural contributions and archeological heritage.
COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: active cases reach 500
As of Nov. 2, there have been a total of 1,610 cases on-reserve in Canada since the pandemic started. Ten additional hospitalizations were reported since last week bringing the total to 83. The death toll remains at 15. The number of First Nations people who have recovered from the disease has reached 1,095.
In an Oct. 30 update, ISC said the increasing number of cases has been linked to community transmission and to large private and public gatherings in settings where physical distancing and wearing of masks were not observed.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-covid-19-update-1.5787763
MLAs oppose funding for N.W.T. COVID-19 secretariat
“This is a whopping millions of dollars, we can’t approve it just like that,” Lafferty said.
“As soon as we walk out of here, we see people begging for homes, begging for food, and here we’re going to pass [millions] like it’s nothing.”
Of that, $79 million would be slated to go toward the government’s health and economic response to the pandemic, including $31.7 million for the proposed COVID-19 secretariat and $29.1 million for a safe restart agreement. The funds would also go toward PPE, vulnerable populations and as support to the communities
14 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Northern Manitoba and outbreak declared at Keeyask
Fourteen new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Northern Manitoba Nov. 4, including 11 new cases in The Pas/Opaskwayak Cree Nation/Kelsey health district, which now has 100 cases in total, 76 of them active.
Other new cases included two from the Island Lake health district, which now has five cases, one from the Cross Lake/Pimicikamak Cree Nation health district and one from the Lynn Lake/Marcel colomb First Nation/Leaf Rapids O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation/South Indian Lake/Granville health district, which now has three active cases.