Indigenous Services Canada COVID-19 update — Week of March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022 — Ottawa, Ontario, Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory — Indigenous Services Canada

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) commends the tireless work of community leadership and frontline healthcare workers for their immense and ongoing contributions to their communities’ pandemic response. Their efforts and quick action continue to save lives.

Vaccination remains the most efficient form of protection against COVID-19. First Nations, Inuit and Métis across the country have access to vaccines through vaccine clinics, which are well underway in Indigenous communities. Now is the time to get vaccinated to protect your community, your Elders and your family.

Below are some of the latest updates from ISC for the week of March 28, 2022.

Vaccinations

As of Tuesday, March 29, 2022, over 88% of individuals aged 12 and older in First Nations, Inuit and territorial communities have received a second dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, and over 29% have received a third dose. Over 52% of children aged five to 11 have received at least one dose.

Vaccine information is updated and published on Thursdays and can be found at canada.ca/covid-vaccines-indigenous.

COVID-19 cases

As of Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the following case counts have been reported from First Nations communities:

• 94,308 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases
• 2,766 active cases
• 3,104 hospitalizations
• 91,743 recovered cases
• 689 deaths

For the week of March 24 to 30, 2022, the average daily reported active case counts increased by 11.6% compared to the daily average of the week prior.
This is compared to:

• a 7.7% decrease in average daily reported active case counts reported for the week of March 17 to 23, 2022, compared to the week prior
• a 6.2% decrease in average daily reported active case counts reported for the week of March 10 to 16, 2022, compared to the week prior

Case count information is updated and published daily, Monday to Friday, and can be found at canada.ca/indigenous-covid-cases.

Request for Federal Assistance (RFA) approvals and extensions

• Kashechewan First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 1, 2022, and subsequently extended by two weeks. A new RFA was received on 30 March, 2022 with a proposed end date of at least April 13, 2022.
• Attawapiskat First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 16, 2022. A new RFA was approved on March 16, 2022, and an extension for continued CAF support was approved on March 30, 2022, with an end date of April 13, 2022.
• Deer Lake First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on March 18, 2022, for CAF support until at least April 2, 2022.

RFA recent conclusions

• The Operation Remote Immunity 3.0 RFA was approved on November 10, 2021. The RFA remained active until today, March 31, 2022, to address any unforeseen support requirements.
• Kasabonika Lake First Nation’s (Ontario) RFA was approved on February 25, 2022. A two-week extension of support was approved on March 10, 2022, and CAF support was concluded on March 24, 2022.

Each COVID-19 vaccine dose increases your protection against severe illness

Our partners with the COVID-19 Indigenous Knowledge Translation Working Group in British Columbia recently developed the following new resource titled “Each COVID-19 vaccine dose increases your protection against severe illness.” This resource was developed after hearing from Indigenous partners, communities and members that there was a need for a resource on the differences between third dose and booster vaccines. This online tool provides important visuals of how vaccines and their efficacy work to deliver the message: the greater your immunity, the more your body is able to fight against COVID-19.

Supports currently available to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities

Across the country, Indigenous Services Canada’s regional offices and regional medical officers of health remain available to assist First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations should they require immediate assistance with an outbreak or require supports such as temporary infrastructure, rapid testing or personal protective equipment.

Indigenous communities and organizations can also continue to request needs-based funding from the Indigenous Community Support Fund. This fund provides Indigenous leadership and organizations with the flexibility needed to design and implement community-based solutions to prevent, prepare for and respond to the spread of COVID-19 within their communities.

These funds can be used for measures including, but not limited to:

• support for Elders and vulnerable community members
• address food insecurity, such as support for the purchase, transportation and distribution of food, and access to traditional foods through hunting and fishing
• educational and other support for children
• mental health assistance and emergency response services
• preparedness measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19

ISC continues to work with Indigenous communities to collaborate, share information and co-develop Indigenous-led, distinctions-based communications and health response approaches with Indigenous partners by listening to their advice and guidance.