Indigenous Services Canada COVID-19 monthly update — October 2022

October 7, 2022 — Ottawa, Ontario, Traditional unceded Algonquin Territory — Indigenous Services Canada

Keeping up to date with COVID-19 vaccines continues to be one of the most effective ways to protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. First Nations, Inuit and Métis across the country have access to vaccines through vaccine clinics and health centres. This includes access to the updated bivalent vaccines that are expected to provide better protection against the Omicron variant of concern, which is currently circulating in Canada.

Since vaccine protection decreases over time, it is important to stay up to date by first getting your primary series doses followed by booster doses as recommended. These are available through your local healthcare providers.

For all eligible populations, if it has been six months since your last dose or six months since being infected with COVID-19, get another booster dose.

Keeping up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself against severe outcomes.

Another way to further protect yourself and reduce the spread of COVID-19 is by choosing to follow individual public health measures, including:

• Staying home when you are sick
• Practising proper respiratory etiquette (e.g., covering your coughs and sneezes)
• Improving ventilation
• Masking up in crowded indoor spaces
• Hand-washing and sanitization
• Social distancing from others when you can
• Using rapid tests when you have been exposed or have symptoms

Monthly review — September 2022

In September 2022, the following data was reported from First Nations communities:

• 493 average daily reported active COVID-19 cases
  • A nearly 40% decrease from August 2022
• 16 newly reported hospitalizations
  • A 30% decrease from August 2022
• 3 newly reported deaths
  • A 40% decrease from August 2022

The following web pages and resources are updated regularly with COVID-19 information on:

• Confirmed cases of COVID-19
• Vaccines administered
• PPE shipments to communities
• Epidemiological summary of COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities