Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 12, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A2 A 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020 ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM W HEN COVID-19 vaccines reach Indigenous communities, which are near the top of the list due to being disproportionately hit by the virus, there will be challenges. Firstly, the logistics. The Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine - what most will receive first - must be kept at -70 C and, once thawed, is only usable from a thermal container for five days. For northern communities, this will require intricate planning by health officials working with airlines, trans- portation companies, and Indigenous governments. Add in training, human resources, and safe spaces to admin- ister doses, and it's even more compli- cated. The Moderna vaccine requires -20 C conditions and lasts for 30 days. Even those conditions will be tough to meet by Indigenous communities. Secondly, public opinion and political will. While no one is complaining about vaccines being given first to health- care workers, the elderly, and long- term care home staff, there has been a litany of divisive comments regarding Indigenous peoples being prioritized. These aren't just by racists on social media but by Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who last week said giving First Nations vaccinations "puts Mani- tobans at the back of the line." So much for your teary speech about all of us being in this together, Mr. Premier. Prioritizing Indigenous communities isn't special treatment, but taking care of those hit hardest first. It's also, Can- ada's legal obligation under Treaty 6, when the Crown promised to "provide aid to Indigenous people during times of pestilence and famine." Above all else, taking care of worst-hit First Na- tions is also taking care of Manitobans, regardless of what the premier says. You don't have to look far to see how Canada's health-care system, police, and academic institutions contain a great deal of systemic racism and now some is coming to the surface through the primary decision-makers and agen- cies delivering the vaccine. Indeed, without the National Advisory Committee on Immuniza- tion making Indigenous communities a priority for the vaccine, and the federal government distributing doses accordingly, I wouldn't be surprised if racism stopped the right thing from being done. Let's hope it continues. Thirdly, education. The vaccines re- quire two doses, taken within weeks of one another, just to get to 90 to 95 per cent immunity. Then, people still have to wear masks for months afterwards until the virus is minimized. While other vaccines are in develop- ment, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by tackling one of COVID-19's 29 proteins: the "spike" protein that allows the virus to enter healthy cells. They introduce a gene from that spike protein that directs the immune sys- tem to create competing proteins that attack the spike protein. It took me three hours of reading to write the above paragraph (and I still had to gloss over stuff) so you can see how complicated vaccines are to understand - never mind explain how we won't be fully immune. It's unknown whether immunity fades over time or if vaccinations need to repeated yearly. This leads to the fourth issue, and biggest challenge to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Indigenous com- munities: suspicion. In virtually every conversation I have with Indigenous peoples about vaccines, there is some level of suspicion. Similar questions have come up online, during weekly Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs COVID-19 briefings, on shows like APTN News, and during the Assembly of First Nations meet- ings this week. Indigenous peoples aren't usually anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, but they do know history; and no one has been more experimented on than our communities. In schools and sanatoriums, resi- dents experienced dehumanizing starvation experiments and medical testing related to diseases and mental health. In hospitals, Indigenous women were frequently sterilized without consent. The federal government even used Indigenous communities to test vac- cines and medicines for tuberculosis and dysentery. Look these up if you don't believe me; some are part of class action lawsuits. As one elder wrote on social media this week: "I get suspicious when governments want to offer new meds to First Nations before anyone else." For the record, I'll get the vaccine when it's my turn. I've read the research, spoken to health officials I trust, and understand what will transpire as the syringe enters my body. I hope other Indigenous peoples read, research, and come to this same decision. This is the only way to ulti- mately stop this pandemic. At the same time, though, I under- stand the suspicion, hesitation, and mistrust. Just like the racism that created cir- cumstances in which the virus spreads faster in Indigenous communities, divides all of us, and devastates Indig- enous lives more than almost anyone else, discussions of racism will be how we get out of this pandemic. And, maybe even a better future. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada VOL 150 NO 34 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2020 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 Publisher / BOB COX Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an in- dependent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at www.mediacouncil.ca and fill out the form or call toll-free 1-844-877- 1163 for additional information. 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INSIDE Arts and Life G1 Business B5 Classifieds E11 Comics I3-7 Community Voices E12 Destinations I1 Diversions G5-7, I8 Homes H1 Horoscope G4 Jumble G7 Miss Lonelyhearts G4 Money Matters B9 Obituaries C1 Opinion A12-13 Sports E1 Television D7 Weather E12 Weekend Review D1 49.8 F1 COLUMNISTS: Tom Brodbeck A4 Carl DeGurse A13 David Christianson B10 Barbara Bowes B11 Mike McIntyre E1 Jerrad Peters E5 Alison Gilmor F11 Ben Sigurdson G8 READER SERVICE ? GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 Several challenges to getting Indigenous peoples vaccinated NIIGAAN SINCLAIR OPINION O TTAWA - The federal Liberals say they're counting on provinces to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines for Indigenous people who aren't part of the group Ottawa is constitutionally bound to protect. On Tuesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu confirmed Ottawa is fast-track- ing part of Manitoba's vaccine quota, to account for people living on remote First Nations, but not people living in Winnipeg, nor anyone who is M�tis. Her comments sparked alarm among Indigenous leaders. Ottawa has said it expects to receive six million total doses of Pfizer- and Moderna-produced vaccines by April 1, and will distribute them to provinces and territories on a per capita basis. However, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced Tuesday that Ot- tawa was increasing the province's early-2021 share of the Moderna vac- cine, which is easier to transport than Pfizer's but has yet to be approved. That expedited quota means 4,800 more Manitobans getting a shot than if Ottawa only doled out vaccines on a per capita basis. Hajdu confirmed Friday the ear- ly-2021 allocations will be weighted to look after First Nations living on re- serve, who typically fall under federal health services instead of provincial ones - but not those living in cities. "The decision has been made, and it is on a per-capita basis, with additional al- lotments for Indigenous people on First Nations," Hajdu said. "It is with addition- al doses for the federal populations, that the federal government are responsible for - that is people on First Nations." Pallister had said Thursday he failed to get Ottawa to commit to a similar ar- rangement for other Indigenous groups, including First Nations who live in cit- ies and M�tis people. Hajdu said she instead expects pre- miers will prioritize those groups. "We expect in urban populations that Indigenous people, including M�- tis people that are living within urban populations, are treated like every other Canadian in that population, and have access in an equitable way." The premier has warned this dis- crepancy might incentivize people in Winnipeg to fly to their home reserve for shots, and inadvertently spread the novel coronavirus. While Indigenous leaders have pushed back on that idea, they were also put off by Hajdu's comments. Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the As- sembly of Manitoba Chiefs noted nearly half of First Nations in the province live off-reserve, and have had dispro- portionately worse outcomes from COVID-19 than those living in far-flung communities. "The problem with these national approaches is that they don't appreci- ate the nuances or the specificities of Manitoba," he said. "While we appre- ciate the federal government making more resources available, they need to have an appreciation of how unique we are here in Manitoba." The Manitoba Metis Federation has been pessimistic about working with the Pallister government on vaccines, despite the premier saying M�tis are among his key concerns. "If you pass my people's vaccines through him, the likely chance of my people getting a vaccine is nil, and you are leading my people to death," MMF president David Chartrand said this week. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Ottawa tabs extra vaccine doses for on-reserve First Nations use DYLAN ROBERTSON DAVID KAWAI / THE CANADIAN PRESS Health Minister Patty Hajdu says Ottawa is fast-tracking vaccines for Manitoba's remote areas. Indigenous peoples aren't usually anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, but they do know history A_02_Dec-12-20_FP_01.indd A2 2020-12-11 9:10 PM ;