Vaxx Fest comes to Onion Lake, Sask., to encourage Indigenous youth to get vaccinated

Vaxx Fest, an event aimed at getting more Indigenous youth vaccinated, will be coming to Onion Lake, Sask., this Friday and Saturday.

Onion Lake is about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster. The event will take place at Sakāskohc High School.

People who come to get their vaccine at the event will feel like they are at an "exclusive club," according to the event's website. 

After getting their dose, people will receive swag bags, be able to listen to live music and have a chance to socialize with social media influencers.

"It's a way of creating a kind of Coachella meets the vaccine clinic in a very safe way," said Dr. Lana Potts, a physician who specializes in First Nation health and an organizer of the event. 

Potts said the idea was born out of The Power of 100, a movement with the aim of achieving a 100 per cent vaccination rate for all First Nations in Canada. Potts said the logo features a buffalo, which ties into the campaign thematically.

"When [buffalo] face a threat they actually turn outward, and they go toward the threat to protect their young," she said. 

"We designed this concept about really protecting our future generation." 

She said one of the ways to do that is to provide First Nation people with a positive health-care experience in a fun environment. 

Potts said there are many challenges facing Indigenous youth in terms of getting vaccinated, including a potential lack of information on the vaccine or not having transportation to health-care services.

She also said First Nation people have not had good experiences with health care in general, and there are issues around colonialism, testing in hospitals and discrimination.

Potts said younger people have been affected more during the fourth wave. She said for Indigenous people, because of their population demographic, a majority of them are under the age of forty. 

"We need to make sure we protect that larger segment of the population," she said. 

As of Nov. 3, there are 47,325 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on First Nation reserves in Canada, including 13,199 cases in Saskatchewan. Northern Indigenous communities in province have also shown to have twice as many active COVID-19 cases on average. 

Potts will be at the Onion Lake event and to answer anyone's questions and concerns regarding the vaccines. 

Brett Mooswa, an Indigenous social media content creator on TikTok, will also have a booth at the event where people can come and speak with him. 

"It's such an honour to be a part of this," he said. 

Mooswa said it will feel great to see people get their information from reliable sources, and be informed for themselves.

The event starts Friday at 3 p.m. CST. Potts said she is expecting 500 visitors to attend each day.