'Hitting us really hard': Sask. First Nation moves into lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak
A growing COVID-19 outbreak in a northern Saskatchewan First Nation with where vaccination rates remain low has prompted the community to move into a lockdown.
Black Lake First Nation will remain in lockdown until Aug. 5, a letter from chief and council shared with community members said.
"We have had Black Lake community members medevaced south because of this virus," said the letter which outlines a series of public health measures and closures.
During the lockdown there will be strictly limited access to facilities, travel is discouraged and community members are being advised to stay at home.
Residents have been provided with colour-coded signs to display to let neighbours know how they are doing and if assistance is required.
CASES SPIKE
According to an Athabasca Health Authority (AHA) report obtained by CTV News, there were 28 active cases in the region it serves as of Monday.
That's up from just a single recorded active case seven days earlier on July 13.
Nearly 95 per cent of all active cases in the area served by the AHA — which includes Fond Du Lac, Uranium City and Stony Rapids — have been identified in Black Lake, according to the report. An outbreak was declared in the community on July 23.
According to the AHA document, just 1 in 7 people are fully vaccinated in Black Lake, a community of more than 1,600.
At least six of the cases have resulted from the highly contagious Delta variant COVID-19 strain, the report said.
While the majority of cases are in adults, some of the cases have been identified in children, according to the report.
"It is noteworthy to say that some positive cases have been fully vaccinated," AHA primary healthcare executive director Taiwo Olubanwo, writes in the report.
While it is possible to develop COVID-19 if fully vaccinated, the chances of developing severe illness or dying is greatly reduced.
"Noticeably is the extremely low rate of the number of individuals who have been fully vaccinated with COVID-19 in Black Lake compared to other AHA communities," Olubanwo writes.
In a message to the community included in the report, Olubanwo applauds the move to restrict travel as part of Black Lake's lockdown measures.
The letter from the First Nation's leadership encourages community members to get vaccinated, follow health protocols and self-quarantine if diagnosed with COVID-19.
"The fourth wave is hitting of this COVID-19 has caught us off guard … and is hitting us really hard right now. If we work hard and follow the guidelines, then we will beat it."
The letter also said northern leaders are working on getting food and cleaning supplies delivered from the south.
Correction
A previous version listed the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the AHA region as the total number of cases for Black Lake.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.