'We do want to ratchet up the testing': FSIN Vice Chief says more needs to be done for Sask. northern communities amid pandemic

SASKATOON -- The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) says a case of COVID-19 confirmed in northern Saskatchewan was caused by a nurse bringing the virus to the community.

"She did not exhibit any symptoms until she was in the community. as soon as she started exhibiting symptoms after I think it was a day or two, they immediately put her into isolation and of course the test came back positive," said FSIN Vice Chief David Pratt.

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The Athabasca Health Authority which oversees health care in northern Saskatchewan says the infected person has been placed in self-quarantine, adding all public health precautions and notifications have taken place.

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Pratt says there needs to be more personal protective equipment and testing for nurses and others in northern communities.

"We do want to ratchet up the testing; we don't want to endanger our northern communities that are at risk already."

The Athabasca Health Authority says testing procedures for health care workers are no different than in other areas of the health care system and the province says testing will be ramping up.

"The availability of testing will get better in our rural and remote communities as we go through the next number of weeks." Premier Scott Moe said Monday during a news conference in Regina.

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NDP leader Ryan Meili says First Nations and northern community leaders need to be included in more.

"This is a new moment. It's a different time and we need different approaches to working together to make sure that everything is properly dealt with.” Meili said.

The province's health ministry says it has been working with the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) on ways to better coordinate their efforts and ensure an effective response to COVID-19.

“Officials from NITHA, ISC and the Ministry have discussed the needs of First Nations communities, including those in the north, and supply orders. Shipments of supplies to 15 southern First Nations went out April 9 and a delivery to NITHA Prince Albert office was scheduled for April 10," the ministry said in a statement.

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  This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, orange, emerging from the surface of cells, green, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)