(file photo/The Canadian Press)

By Alison Sandstrom

Combatting COVID-19

Vaccination push underway in Far North

Jan 26, 2021 | 5:00 PM

The Athabasca Health Authority (AHA) and Northern leaders have upped their efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy in a push to administer as many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as possible in the region before Friday.

Derek Keller, executive director of primary health care for AHA says after a lull, interest in the vaccine has increased in the past week. He attributes the uptick to more education and communication, including from residents who have received the shot.

In Fond-du-Lac, vaccinated community members are eligible to win prizes donated by the First Nation.

“I commend the community members and our Athabasca Health Authority Staff who have come forward with their stories highlighting their experience with getting the vaccine,” Keller told paNOW.

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Still, it’s unlikely all of 710 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine delivered to the Health Authority on Jan. 8 will be used. Originally those doses were earmarked for health care workers, long term care residents and people aged 50 and over. The age limit has since been dropped to 40 and up.

Keller said any remaining doses will be shipped out on Friday, so they can be administered in another community before they expire on Feb. 6.

As of Tuesday morning, 395 of those 710 doses had been administered in the health authority, which includes Fond-du-Lac, Stony Rapids and Uranium City.

Keller said he’s hopeful that number can be brought up to 570 by the end of the week.

“Now’s the time to get the vaccine,” he said, adding it might not be available again in the region until April.

Combatting vaccine hesitancy

Misinformation about the shot on social media is driving vaccine hesitancy in the region, Keller said.

Canada’s long history of colonization and medical racism against Indigenous people is another important factor.

“There is certainly a low level of trust for the health care system in general from the Indigenous population,” he said. “And certainly that’s work that we have to work on, and we are making progress.”

Sometimes, Keller said, it’s just a matter of talking through people’s concerns or questions about the vaccine, or reassuring them that it is safe. Ultimately, it is their choice if they want to receive it.

“We’ll phone somebody, offer them the vaccine, they’ll say no, we’ll just ask what’s their reason,” he said. “We recognize at the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own health care, everyone has the right to refuse treatment or vaccines.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom