Later, key external resources both people and documents were discovered that could have been useful to the team, including the fact there is a provincial lead on isolation accommodations, the document says.
A spokesperson from Shared Health says the provincial health organization worked remotely with the military, sharing relevant documents and experience. I know there at the beginning they [the military] didn t really know what to do, like how to run the [alternate isolation accommodations], said Oberon Munroe, Garden Hill s health director.
Canadian Armed Forces members were in Garden Hill First Nation between Jan. 20 and Feb. 9, 2021, to help contain a COVID-19 outbreak.(Canadian Armed Forces Operations/Facebook)
Part of the outbreak response was vaccination, so that the community could start building immunity. A vaccination clinic was set up in the local school s gym and the initial Moderna doses received from the federal government were shot into the arms of the First Nation s elders, said Munroe.
Most of the elders wanted to receive the immunization in order to protect themselves, he said.
Once seniors were taken care of, the community expanded its vaccination efforts to all residents 18 or older.
Nearly 2,600 people live in Garden Hill First Nation, according to 2016 census data. Community officials gathered that roughly 1,700 residents on-reserve are at least 18 years old, and there are another 100 people who live about a kilometre from the community in that age range, said Munroe.