“I was going to wait for one in The Pas but I thought I’d better get one here when I had a chance,” said Kitzul, who’s worked in health care for about half a century and had no doubts about his decision to get vaccinated. “I think it’s a very good thing. It’s going to help people. They should get it. There’s no excuse. If anybody refuses it and they end up on an ICU unit, I don’t feel sorry for them.” The first two Thompson residents to receive the vaccine at the TRCC are at the beginning of their health care careers. Dylan Stacey, a fourth-year nursing student at University College of the North and a health care aide at the medical, surgical and pediatric ward on the second floor of Thompson General Hospital, said he was a little nervous about getting the vaccine but hopes that it will be the first step in an eventual return to life as it was before COVID-19 arrived in Manitoba.
Posted: Feb 02, 2021 4:00 AM CT | Last Updated: February 2
Pimicikamak Cree Nation - also known as Cross Lake - is one dozens of Manitoba First Nations that restrict access to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.(Bartley Kives/CBC)
On the only road connecting Pimicikamak Cree Nation to the rest of Manitoba, there s a checkpoint designed to staunch the spread of COVID-19.
Anyone driving in and out of what s also known as Cross Lake must stop at the row of pylons and disclose contact-tracing information, including their name, phone number, point of origin and intended destination.
They re given temperature checks, asked if they ve been tested for COVID-19 and if they have any symptoms. If they intend to stay in the community and interact with anyone, they may be required to spend days inside a school converted into a makeshift isolation centre.
Winnipeg Free Press
COVID-19 vaccination supersite at the Thompson Regional Community Centre opened Monday, February 1.
The opening of northern Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccination “super site” was hailed Monday as a “sign of hope” and a “breath of fresh air” for the region reporting the most active coronavirus cases in the province.
The opening of northern Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccination super site was hailed Monday as a sign of hope and a breath of fresh air for the region reporting the most active coronavirus cases in the province. I think ‘hope’ is a really good word, Helga Bryant, chief executive officer of Northern Health, said after visiting Thompson Regional Community Centre on opening day.
“Taking the health care support worker training is my best opportunity to start working in the health care field,” said program graduate Kanwaljeet Gill in a UCN press release. “I am very grateful to UCN and hospital management staff for creating this short period training opportunity.” Offering the program can help alleviate stresses on a health care system overburdened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said UCN Dean of Health Dr. Vicki Zeran. “It’s important that UCN helps in any way possible during these trying times,” Zeran said. CEO Helga Bryant said the NRHA looks forward to working with recent and future graduates at a time when their skills are greatly needed in northern communities.
“Health care in the north has been a passion of Clarence’s whether from a public or private perspective,” said Helga Bryant, CEO of the Northern Health Region. “It has been my honour and privilege to work with Clarence over the years I have been CEO of the Northern Health Region…Each of us as members of this community must acknowledge Clarence’s role as we watch the final construction of the emergency department at the Flin Flon General Hospital.” Pettersen made headlines in 2014 when he called on then-premier Greg Selinger to step down, concerned the premier had lost the trust of Manitobans.