For months, the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba has been reporting alarming COVID-19 numbers.
There are a reported 2,780 cases of COVID-19 in First Nations people, while the province reports 3,466 active cases overall.
Finally, yesterday, the provincial government and the secretariat got together to speak to Manitobans.
Long before the pandemic arrived in the province, it was predicted First Nations would be hit hard. This has come to pass. First Nations make up more than 50 per cent of COVID cases in Manitoba.
Dr. Marcia Anderson, public health lead for the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response and Co-ordination Team, joined Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for Manitoba’s Vaccination Implementation Task Force, on Monday to address these facts.
Both doctors explained the steps being taken to protect First Nations, such as the dedicated program for Moderna vaccines being sent to First Nations.
But what many Manitobans do not understand are the conditions on reserves that might lead to higher numbers. For example, what does overcrowding in households actually mean?
Anderson noted that overcrowding doesn’t just happen on reserves — it is also an urban reality. But regardless of the setting, Indigenous people are more prone to develop respiratory illnesses.
"Over the long term, what we’ve seen in previous respiratory illness outbreaks, for example, H1N1, is because viruses are spread more easily when you’re in closer contact with people, the more people you have in any space, especially a home, the more that virus is going to spread," said Anderson.
"Every year, we see more influenza amongst First Nations people. And, when we saw more HIN1, we still have ongoing tuberculosis outbreaks in First Nation and Inuit communities, that is largely driven by overcrowded, inadequate housing and then worsened by other factors, like income insecurity, food insecurity, higher rates of underlying chronic illnesses."
Anderson said that during COVID-19 one measure that should be noted is the secondary attack rate.
"This is the percentage of close contacts to a case of COVID-19 who go on to become a case. So, the percentage of people who are close contacts who become cases is over 40 per cent. And, in general, this has been closer to 10 per cent for the rest of the province."
Anderson talked about single households with one bathroom, with two or three bedrooms, with 12 to 20 people living in that space.
"I think if we want to imagine the province’s usual advice, which is a best-case scenario, have a private bedroom and have a private bathroom to isolate when you’re in the double digits in a single-bathroom household, that is going to be almost impossible," said Anderson.
"And that is what drives a lot of the spread that we see in First Nations communities."
Monday's numbers
The COVID-19 update from the province on Monday saw three additional deaths listed, none in PMH.
The province reported 89 new cases, but two cases were removed due to data corrections, bringing the new case total to 87.
The new cases are as follows:
• 22 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
• 42 cases in the Northern health region;
• three cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• four cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
• 18 cases in the Winnipeg health region.
The five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate was 7.9 per cent in the province, and 4.9 per cent in Winnipeg.
Lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba total 29,651, with 83 deaths.
The province reports 3,466 active cases and individuals who have recovered total a reported 25,353.
The province also reported 104 people are in hospital with active COVID-19, as well as 151 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 255 hospitalizations.
Twenty-seven people are in intensive care units with active COVID-19, as well as 11 people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 38 ICU patients.
In the PMH region, there are a reported 169 active cases, with 1,760 recovered. There are five active cases hospitalized, and seven people hospitalized who are no longer infectious. There are two patients in ICU. The region has seen 51 deaths.
Brandon’s active case count is 37, with 906 recovered and 21 deaths.
Sunday, 1,603 tests were completed, for a total of 478,810 since February, 2020.
» Source: Province of Manitoba
