Military to help vaccinate up to 23 northern Manitoba First Nations against COVID-19
News comes amid 1st coronavirus variant case on a First Nation in the province, new testing recommendations
Hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada is tapping the military to help get COVID-19 vaccines out on some northern Manitoba First Nations, officials announced the province's first on-reserve case of a highly transmissible coronavirus variant.
The person who tested positive for the B117 strain first identified in the U.K. self-isolated effectively and has since recovered, Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead for the Manitoba First Nations Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team, said at a news conference Friday.
It's believed the person got sick within Manitoba but outside of their community, which Anderson declined to name. She said there is no evidence of the variant spreading further on that First Nation.
Earlier Friday, Trudeau announced Canadian Armed Forces personnel are being sent to help with COVID-19 vaccinations on up to 23 northern Manitoba First Nations that are otherwise hard to reach.
"This is about working in partnership with First Nations on their efforts to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible," he said at a news conference.
WATCH | Prime minister announces military help coming to First Nations:
The federal government approved the deployment on Thursday, he said.
The military is now working on detailed plans ahead of its arrival in the communities. Trudeau didn't specify which communities personnel will be sent to.
The step was taken following a request made by Indigenous Services Canada to support vaccine rollout in northern Manitoba, a military spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
From March 22 to June 30, military personnel sent to communities will provide limited medical assistance (including giving shots), help start up vaccine clinics and co-ordinate and deliver supplies where there are no commercial options, the spokesperson said.
They'll also help with general planning and transportation needs, the spokesperson said. Liaison and planning officers will be sent in on Monday, and additional tasks will begin on March 29.
New testing recommendations
The discovery of a variant case on a First Nation led health officials to start recommending that people get tested for COVID-19 before visiting a First Nations community or before returning home to one if they've been gone for more than 48 hours.
That testing should be done within three days of arriving, Anderson said.
"These test results are helpful," she said. "They're one tool in the toolbox, one layer of protection that we have against COVID-19 or variants of concern entering our communities."
People will be able to get those tests done for free and without an appointment at five sites across Manitoba: three in Winnipeg, one in Thompson and one in The Pas. More locations and rapid tests may also be introduced into this system in the future, Anderson said.
Unlike with regular COVID-19 tests, people won't need to self-isolate while waiting for these results unless they develop symptoms, she said.
Testing isn't required for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three months, the province said in a news release, but testing is still recommended even if a person is partially or fully vaccinated against the illness.
Individual First Nations might also have different requirements for entering their communities, Anderson said, like asking for proof of a negative test result.
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said later Friday his department will work alongside the military to support "an unparalleled, accelerated vaccination program" in some isolated First Nations communities and a few bigger Indigenous communities.
WATCH | Indigenous Services minister says details coming on military deployment to First Nations:
Those efforts will begin in northern Manitoba, he said.
"Over the next few days, we will be working in partnership with Indigenous leadership to assess community needs and ensure the appropriate Canadian Armed Forces resources are sent to communities requiring assistance," he said.
More details will be shared in the coming days, Miller said.
Vaccine rollout ramps up
With the vaccine doses First Nations have already received and the ones on the way, it's expected everyone living on-reserve who wants to be immunized will have their first shot by mid-April, said Melanie MacKinnon, one of the leaders of the Manitoba First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team at Friday's news conference.
Once that's done, the plan is to start immediately giving out second doses of vaccine, MacKinnon said. The team is aiming to get everyone their second shot as early as four to six weeks after their first dose, and no more than two months after.
Earlier this month, Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) changed its recommended time between doses from three weeks to four months, citing real-world data that would help vaccinate more people sooner.
Anderson said that recommendation doesn't take into account conditions like overcrowding, food insecurity and health gaps on First Nations communities.
She said those factors "change the frequency and intensity of exposure to COVID-19 and how it's impacting us."
More doses on the way
Last week, the First Nations pandemic team got 13,500 more doses to distribute over the following two weeks, MacKinnon said. As of Thursday, 9,180 vaccines had been shipped to seven First Nations. Another 4,320 vaccines are set to go out to four more communities next week.
Some communities could start vaccine clinics as early as this weekend, though most will likely start next week, she said.
A bigger shipment of 26,500 vaccines is expected the week of March 29, with the remaining roughly 9,500 doses anticipated the following week. Those shots will be distributed the week of April 12, MacKinnon said, and will bring vaccines to all First Nations communities.
Last Friday, officials announced First Nations communities were scheduled to administer 100,000 doses on-reserve in the next 100 days.
Earlier this month, health officials announced immunization teams were set to start visiting First Nations in Manitoba to vaccinate entire communities at once.
Areas at highest risk of flooding, fires or losing winter road access were slated to be prioritized.
