First Nation that lost 6 members this year to COVID-19 calls for immediate booster shots to elders
The Wet’suwet’en First Nation is urging health officials to provide booster shots to its eligible members right away, rather than in early 2022 as planned.
The public call came on Oct. 22 after leaders heard from health officials about the projected timeline for getting booster doses to Wet’suwet’en members.
The nation says it has lost six members over the last 11 months due to COVID-19.
Those who died were elders, language keepers and hereditary chiefs due to COVID-19. Two of those deaths came in the last two weeks, and four matriarchs are now testing positive for COVID-19.
“Our small community is being hit hard right now and we are all in grief,” said Wet’suwet’en councillor Karen Ogen.
Chief Maureen Luggi says that many members were fully vaccinated at the beginning of 2021, which means it will be nearly a year between their second dose and booster.
“We haven’t even buried our most recently deceased elder and we’re having to contend with being denied full health care,” she said.
The Wet’suwet’en First Nation, located near Burns Lake, west of Prince George, has approximately 255 members living both on and off reserve.
This fall, B.C. health officials announced that some small communities, seniors living in long-term care and people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, would be offered booster shots in the coming months. The boosters have already been rolled out at many long-term care homes.
“Our elders are the ones who hold the knowledge regarding Wet’suwet’en traditional history, our lands, our language, our culture, our traditions,” Luggi said.
“So that's the threat that we're facing here in the North.”
In a statement the B.C. Ministry of Health said it had not yet received a “formal” request from the nation.
“First Nations Health Authority acting chief medical officer Dr. Shannon McDonald and (provincial health officer) Doctor Bonnie Henry continue to review the data around vaccine efficiency for all ages and populations,” the statement reads.
Without acknowledging the recent COVID-19 transmissions described by the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, the health authority said it’s also “prioritizing First Nations communities where there have been recent transmissions, with vaccination teams providing first and second doses as well as boosters to Elders and seniors.”
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.