Pabineau First Nation sees big demand for booster shots at community clinic
CBC
A northern New Brunswick community is seeing strong interest from people looking to get a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine as outbreaks are occurring at seven First Nations around the province.
Pabineau First Nation, about 10 kilometres south of Bathurst, has given boosters to more than 160 people, nearly the entire population, at its community health centre and it is planning additional clinics.
Chief Terry Richardson said offering the vaccine directly in the community is important.
"To provide the service here, it gives our elders more confidence to come in. They know the people here," he said. "It's less stressful for a lot of our members who aren't able to travel, who don't have vehicles."
About 95 per cent of residents in the rural community of about 170 people are vaccinated with two doses, according to the chief.
Pabineau First Nation has also been offering vaccines to people with ties to the community, band members living off-reserve and those in the surrounding areas.
Members of a First Nation are eligible for a third dose of an mRNA vaccine in New Brunswick if six months have passed since their second dose. Booster shot clinics began rolling out in Indigenous communities in late October.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the body that provides advice to the Public Health Agency of Canada, says Indigenous adults should be prioritized because they experience an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and have limited health-care options.
Patricia Roy, a registered nurse and director of the health centre, said vaccination rates wouldn't be nearly this high without offering shots in the community.
She said the smaller facility is familiar, accessible and more comfortable for someone to go to.
"There's the cultural end of it too. We are in a setting where we have cultural amenities around the building so it's very accommodating for the First Nations community to have services in their own community," she said.
The health centre has been offering a variety of appointments based on ability to attend, working with patients to find a time that works. That approach has boosted turnout and attendance, compared to simply providing a time to arrive for the vaccine.
Staff also follow up with community members about their appointments and to ensure they return for their second, and now third, doses of the shot.
The vaccines arrive from the K.C. Irving Centre in Bathurst and are stored in an on-site vaccine freezer at the health centre. It's cold enough to keep the vaccines for the entire day of a clinic.
A caravan of people pull up over the Montana hills as the sun is about to rise. People get out of their vehicles to see about a dozen bison crowded together in a corral.
As Terri Malcolm weaves sinew into the web of her dreamcatcher, she feels a deep connection to her ancestors and the women around her, she says.
The grand staircase in the Manitoba legislative building was lined with red dresses on Friday, highlighting a path that led to a table with candles. hearts and framed photos of women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Six Assembly of First Nations regional chiefs accused their national leader of stoking division on the issue of child-welfare reform, suggesting she may be too cozy with the Canadian government, a letter obtained by CBC Indigenous shows.
Sweethearts, friends and family dance a two-step style around drum groups, all coming together to dance in what is called a kahomani.
New research says the world's peatlands — squishy, waterlogged, buggy habitats — are vastly under-protected, despite the critical role they play in regulating the environment.
Two years ago, on a late November morning, Sylvie Hudon woke up shaking like a leaf.