Posted: Jan 21, 2021 8:45 AM ET | Last Updated: January 21
Eunice Fiddler, 85, was the first resident at the William A. George Extended Care Facility in Sioux Lookout to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.(Submitted by Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre)
Ontario s plan to vaccinate the populations of its most remote First Nations communities against COVID-19 faces many challenges, but Indigenous leaders say that earning the trust of the people must be a priority.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a political organization that represents 49 of Ontario s 123 First Nations, said that the most obvious hurdle of Operation Remote Immunity is geography, as those remote communities may not have an airstrip and must have their winter roads built in time for the vaccine to be delivered. But he said that even more important than the physical logistics of delivering the vaccine is ensuring that Indigenous
Cultural sensitivity and community safety are top of mind for the Ornge team tasked with transporting COVID-19 vaccines and vaccinating 31 remote First Nations in northern Ontario, a monumental task they have designated "Operation Remote Immunity."