While 'tough' without public health order, Sask. First Nation's lockdown led to drop in COVID-19: official
A First Nation in northern Saskatchewan hit hard by a COVID-19 outbreak is emerging from a two-week voluntary lockdown in better shape.
That's according to an Athabasca Health Authority (AHA) report authored by primary healthcare executive director Taiwo Olubanwo.
As the temporary lockdown lifts, Black Lake First Nation has 19 active cases of COVID-19. During the outbreak's peak in late July, the community had over 40 active cases according to the report.
The outbreak was first declared on June 23.
During the lockdown period, access to facilities was strictly limited, travel was discouraged and community members were advised to stay at home.
While there was some inital resistance to the measures, Olubanwo writes that the community's response was "promising" a week into the lockdown.
Olubanwo had floated the idea of an emergency public health order (PHO) from the province to help enforce the measures.
Even without the order, Olubanwo says it appears the lockdown was also succesful in preventing the spread of COVID-19 to nearby communities.
"Evidence shows that the lockdown is effective, although tough to enforce without PHO," Olubanwo writes in the report.
Vaccination rates are still lagging in the community of more than 1,600, according to the report. Just 14 per cent of people there are fully vaccinated, Olubanwo says.
"With the number of efforts put in by the AHA primary health care team, our partners, and the community stakeholders, there is an increased chance that the vaccinated individual(s) may increase in the coming week in the face of a potential surge in COVID-19 active cases following the lockdown discontinuation."
While COVID-19 poses a signifigant risk in the community due to the lower rates of vaccination, Olubanwo says extending the lockdown would potentially be "challenging" without an emergency PHO in place.
"It is summertime, many people want to go on vacation, visit friends and family and have fun," Olubanwo says.
"In all fairness, lifting the lockdown is not the issue. Adherence to the COVID-19 preventive measures is indeed essential."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.