Gtixaala Nation set to be among first to receive COVID-19 vaccine

 

The roll out of COVID-19 vaccines to Indigenous communities across Canada will soon begin, with the first flight of ten communities announced over the weekend.

Among the ten, will be the Gitxaala Nation in Kitkatla which will be provided with the Moderna version of the coronavirus vaccine. 

A notice to the Community  was issued on Sunday, advising that the first supply for residents would arrive later this week, with a schedule for innoculation still to be announced.

The Moderna version of the vaccine is one of a number of sources of vaccine supply that the Federal Government has gained access to in recent months. 

It does not required the extreme cooling process as that of the Pfizer vaccine, which was the first to be distributed to Canadians, with the first focus that of health care professionals and those living in Seniors Care facilities.

The easier mobility of the Moderna vaccine has made it more suitable for transport to Northern Canadian and remote Indigenous communities such as the Gitxaala Nation.

The Federal Government's Health Agency is responsible for the distribution plan and outlined how that will work prior to the Christmas Holiday period.

Moderna is ready to provide up to 168,000 doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to Canada in December. This distribution will be primarily in the Northern territories, and for remote and isolated areas. 

Indigenous Services Canada, other federal departments, and Indigenous partners are working with provinces and territories to support the inclusion of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in their vaccine planning and allocations, which is the process for routine vaccinations.

Residents of the Gitxaala Nation will receive more guidance from their health office as the vaccine arrives in the community.

You can follow the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccines across Northwestern BC and Haida Gwaii from our archive page here.

More notes related to the response to the COVID-19 coronavirus can be explored from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.