FNHMA Health Bulletin: Coronavirus (COVID-19) |
Thanks for subscribing to our weekly health and wellness bulletin.
It's been a busy week for us as we prepared for the delivery of our winter hybrid courses. Our CEO participated in media interviews and meetings about the FNHMA Weekly Town Halls, COVID-19 vaccines and anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare. We'll share more below to get you caught up!
As you know, each issue, we do our best to provide relevant information, resources and supports to help you and your team navigate through COVID-19.
In this week's edition, we are sharing:
- Weekly Virtual Town Hall Update
- Total Number of Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 ISC is aware of as of January 27, 2021
- Epidemiological Summary Of COVID-19 Cases In First Nations Communities (Data Current As Of January 22, 2021)
- "Pandemic Podcasts Earning Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Praise Nationally"
- "Statement By The Minister Of Indigenous Services, The Minister Of Crown-Indigenous Relations, The Minister Of Health And The Minister Of Northern Affairs On The Work To Eliminate Racism Against Indigenous Peoples In The Healthcare Systems"
- "Off-reserve First Nations Elders Want To Be Prioritized In Manitoba's Vaccination Plan"
- "Indigenous People Should Be Priority For COVID-19 Shots Even Amid Shortage: Minister"
- "Drones Will Deliver Medical Supplies To Remote First Nations During COVID-19 Pandemic"
- "Kahnawake Has Become The Statistical Anomaly In The Region During The COVID-19 Pandemic"
Scroll down for these stories and more.
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Weekly Virtual Town Hall Update |
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The Next FNHMA Virtual Town Hall Is Scheduled For February 4, 2021!
We hope you'll continue to join us as we discuss and share important information on the pandemic, the vaccine and the issues and opportunities for front line health care workers.
Our guests this week are:
- Dr. Evan Adams, Deputy Medical Officer of Public Health, Indigenous Services Canada
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Dr. Shannon MacDonald, Acting Chief Medical Officer, First Nations Health Authority
If you have questions for our guests, send them in by email to:
If you missed a Town Hall, you can watch them all. Simply click the button below to view our archived list.
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National and First Nation COVID-19 News |
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Total Number Of Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 ISC Is Aware Of As Of January 27, 2021 |
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As of January 27, 2021, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) records indicate that there are 15,989 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves, in six provinces. There are 744 hospitalizations, 12,770 recovered cases, and 151 deaths.
For more information on these numbers and for more information on how to keep your family safe, please click here.
Click Here to see the full ISC Coronavirus (COVID-19) an Indigenous communities page.
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Epidemiological Summary Of COVID-19 Cases In First Nations Communities (Data Current As Of January 22, 2021) |
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Cumulative reported, recovered, active and newly reported cases in First Nations communities (Data is current as of January 22, 2021)
The charts with epidemic curves over time (epi curves) below show:
- the cumulative totals of reported and recovered COVID-19 cases
- active cases
- Reported cases by First Nations communities by age group and sex
Epidemic curves of COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities on-reserve are available online, and updated weekly. While a recent rise in the number of cumulative, new and active COVID-19 cases suggests an increased transmission, the flattened epi curves observed over the summer months indicates many First Nations communities had been successful in their efforts to stop the spread of infections.
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"Pandemic Podcasts Earning Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Praise Nationally"
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"Though her efforts are receiving plenty of praise, Marion Crowe would actually prefer that she was not still doing some of her current work.
Crowe is the CEO of the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA). Since last March, she has been hosting town hall podcasts from her Ottawa home to update listeners with news and information regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic."
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"Second Meeting On Anti-Indigenous Racism In Health To Focus On Solutions"
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"Canadians expect concrete measures from politicians to ensure everyone - Indigenous people included - has access to first-class medical treatment, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said ahead of a meeting on systemic racism in the health system.
“This is a jurisdiction (that) is jealously guarded by provinces, but when it comes to issues like racism, systemic racism, discrimination, every leader in this country has a leadership role to play in calling it out and getting rid of it,” Miller told a news conference Wednesday.
“We know, going into the meeting, that there is systemic racism in the health-care system in every province and in every territory.”"
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"Statement By The Minister Of Indigenous Services, The Minister Of Crown-Indigenous Relations, The Minister Of Health And The Minister Of Northern Affairs On The Work To Eliminate Racism Against Indigenous Peoples In The Healthcare Systems"
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"OTTAWA, ONTARIO (January 28th, 2021) – The Honourable Marc Miller, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, the Honourable Patty Hajdu and the Honourable Daniel Vandal issued the following statement today:
"For far too long, Canada's history of colonialism has driven racist practices, behaviours and policies against Indigenous Peoples. Systemic racism remains embedded in our country's healthcare systems, with catastrophic effects for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Indigenous Peoples are entitled to receive first-class medical care, without fear of discrimination or maltreatment. It is long overdue that we come together to eliminate and eradicate any and all forms of racism and discrimination.""
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"Off-reserve First Nations Elders Want To Be Prioritized In Manitoba's Vaccination Plan"
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"With First Nations citizens in Manitoba making up about half of new COVID-19 cases in the province, off-reserve elders and knowledge keepers want to be included on the vaccination priority list.
"We deserve the respect and the courtesy. You know, just because you live in the city doesn't mean that you should be excluded," said 69-year-old Barbara Nepinak.
Nepinak, Anishinaabe from Pine Creek, is a fluent Anishinaabemowin speaker who has spent the majority of her life living in Winnipeg.
In 2019, she and her husband Clarence Nepinak received the Order of Manitoba, the province's highest honour, for preserving Indigenous culture and languages.
Recently, she contacted her doctor to ask when she and her 72-year-old husband would be eligible to get vaccinated. She was told by her doctor to contact her band about First Nations being prioritized, who then told her to contact her doctor."
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"Indigenous People Should Be Priority For COVID-19 Shots Even Amid Shortage: Minister"
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"Ottawa says 75 per cent of Indigenous adults living in the territories will be vaccinated by March 31
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday the federal government is still committed to its ambitious plan to vaccinate remote First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities by the spring even as the country grapples with a scarcity of shots.
Miller said he expects provinces and territories to continue to direct shots to these places and ignore "politically expedient solutions" that would result in doses being diverted from priority populations to other communities.
He said he's worried that the collective commitment to prioritize some Indigenous adults could crumble in the face of pressure from other constituents."
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"Drones Will Deliver Medical Supplies To Remote First Nations During COVID-19 Pandemic"
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"The University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine received a $750,000 dollar grant to deliver health care supplies to the remote First Nations communities using drones.
The Remote Communities Drone Transport Initiative received money from the 2020 TD Ready Challenge to deliver personal protective equipment and medications, as well as COVID-19 testing and diagnostics during the ongoing pandemic.
“It’s an opportunity whereby we can explore the use of drone technology to support remote Indigenous communities in a new way,” says Dr. John Pawlovich, one of the project’s leaders.
“Drone technology has been around for a while now, but hasn’t been thoroughly explored, in terms of potential to augment healthcare initiatives for indigenous communities.”"
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"Kahnawake Has Become The Statistical Anomaly In The Region During The COVID-19 Pandemic"
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"All When it comes to COVID-19, the statistical anomaly of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake is being described as a miracle.
While Quebec in general, and the greater Montreal area in particular, are hard hit, the Mohawk community is still operating without deaths or hospitalizations due to the novel coronavirus. A part of the success has been attributed to the expertise of family doctor and virologist Annick Gauthier.
During spring break in the winter of 2020, when COVID numbers first began to explode in the province, Gauthier was on a trip to New York, where she was going to meet former colleagues from the Rockefeller University with whom she worked to discover a treatment for hepatitis C. Dr. Charles Rice was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine last October for his work on the project.
"I have a very small part of the Nobel Prize in me!" said Gauthier."
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COVID-19 Communications Toolkit - Free Download - UPDATE 1
**The Communications Toolkit has been updated. Check below for the latest version.**
The pandemic has touched many Indigenous communities across the country and people need information to help them manage in this ever-changing environment. With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, people have renewed hope but understandably also have questions on how a vaccine will impact them and their families.
To help you answer some of these questions, Indigenous Services Canada has prepared a toolkit that contains a variety of communication resources and information for you to share with your community. Each community is unique in the way it shares information with its members. This toolkit can serve as a guide to create messages tailored to your community.
This is the first version of the communications toolkit, please look for updated versions in the coming weeks as the situation continues to evolve.
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What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine for Canada
Working to bring Canadians a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread and reduce the impact of infectious diseases, whether it's seasonal flu or childhood infections. A safe and effective vaccine(s) for COVID-19 will protect us against the novel coronavirus and will be an important step to safely resume normal life in Canada and around the world. The Government of Canada is working on all possible fronts to secure access to safe and effective vaccines and related supplies for Canadians. Here is what Canadians need to know about a future COVID-19 vaccine.
Download the full PDF about what you need to know about the vaccine here.
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FNHMA Pandemic Planning Tool Free Download |
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Did you know?
The FNHMA Pandemic Planning Tool provides the basics of developing a Community Pandemic Plan and can complement what you already have in place. It is based on the belief that:
“an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
That is why this tool focuses on identifying risks and planning to avoid or mitigate them.
To learn more, download your copy today.
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COVID-19 App Update Available!
The Canada COVID-19 app has an update available. If you don’t have auto-updates enabled on your device, remember to update your app manually!
Get the app today.
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Health Career Opportunities |
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Indigenous Services Canada currently has 3 nursing positions that close today - January 29, 2021!
Check out the postings below to learn more:
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Mental Health And Wellness Resources |
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January 28, 2021 was Bell Let's Talk Day: 2021
Let's Talk is an awareness campaign created in an effort to raise awareness and combat stigma surrounding mental illness in Canada.
Every action counts.
If you are looking for additional supports and resources beyond the campaign day for mental health, take a look at our list and partner websites for helpful information:
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FNPI - An Indigenous Manufacturer of PPE |
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First Nations Procurement Inc. (FNPI) an indigenous manufacturer of Personal Protection Equipment has donated half a million masks to Manitoba during their outbreak in the northern communities.
They are located on the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation in Ontario, Canada. FNPI in partnership with Dent-X Canada has 3 Indigenous manufacturing facilities located on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation and First Nation Training Centre in Vaughan, Ontario.
FNPI /Dent-X Canada manufactures medical grade 3 ply, level II and level III disposable facemasks for adults and children. Recently, they completed the signature series N95, “First Nations, FN- N95 2020H” respirator. It is anticipated that this mask will be highly sought after as it offers a maximum protection for essential workers.
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Accessing Additional Funding |
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Indigenous Services Canada - New Financial Support |
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Indigenous Services Canada has a list of financial supports for:
- Indigenous individuals
- Indigenous students
- Indigenous organizations and communities
- Indigenous businesses
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A number of Partner and National Indigenous Organizations are and have been producing webinars in order to continue supporting First Nations in a changing landscape.
To view more please follow the links below and be directed to that organization's webinar page.
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Supports & Regularly Updated Resources |
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The following organizations have resources to combat COVID-19. These resources are regularly updated and are available to view at any time.
Please click below to be directed to more information.
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Indigenous Health Today houses many different resources and provides recent news updates via email.
Please subscribe to their health brief as a valued FNHMA Partner.
Click the link to subscribe today!
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Please note that service hours for InfoPoint have been updated.
InfoPoint will now be available from 9am until 5pm EDT, Monday to Friday.
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Previous Health Bulletins |
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If you missed or would like to see any of our weekly health bulletins, we have included a link to all of our previous volumes.
Click Here to see all previous Health and Wellness Bulletins.
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