COVID-19 vaccine distribution

Yes. CBHSSJB and Cree Leadership have secured enough doses for everyone who is eligible.

• Cree beneficiaries outside of Eeyou Ischee who want to get vaccinated before they return to their community can still make arrangements.

• This includes post-secondary students and Cree School Board staff.

• People can send their request by email to: 18TCR.ReentryVaccine@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

• They can visit the Cree Health Board website for details: https://creehealth.org/news/re-entry-vaccination-program.

• Vaccines are not mandatory for anyone in Canada. 

• Essential workers have a higher risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 and it is important for them to make informed decisions about getting vaccinated. 

• If you are an essential worker, ask your employer about recommendations and requirements for your workplace.

• Indigenous leaders across Canada have advocated on behalf of their community members to receive, in priority, initial doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

• The risk of COVID-19 presents significant potential consequences in Indigenous communities because of large, multi-generational households that include Elders, the incidence of chronic disease such as diabetes that make people more vulnerable to severe infections, and limited access to “big hospital” health care services.

If you are isolating, you can, and should be vaccinated by appointment. 

• There are specific safety measures in place to vaccinate people in isolation, in designated Red Zones. 

• Call your CMC to make an appointment. 

• If someone has an active COVID-19 infection and is isolating, they have to wait until they recover before receiving the Moderna vaccine.

• The recommendation is that they wait up to 3 months.

• It's also recommended that people who had COVID-19 only receive one dose of the vaccine.

• The COVID-19 vaccination campaign is very well planned with CBHSSJB workers and your local clinics are ready.

• Every community will have a Vaccination Team.

• A Regional Vaccination Team will be available to help out if extra support is needed.

All Regional Vaccination Team vaccinators will either be travelling from another Cree community, or will have self-isolated for 2 weeks if they are coming from a high-risk area.

• All Public Health precautionary measures will need to be followed at the vaccination sites, including wearing a mask, disinfecting your hands, and respecting physical distancing.

• There will be a limit on the number of people allowed inside the vaccination site. The vaccination team will provide regular updates about wait times to local radio and social media.

• People will have to answer a screening questionnaire and will have to sign a consent form.

• They will be registered by a data entry technician.

• After receiving the vaccine, people will be taken to a waiting area, where they’ll be asked to sit and wait for 15 minutes.

• After 15 minutes, you’re allowed to leave the vaccination site. A member of the vaccination team will provide a handout sheet that lists potential side effects and a number to call if you need assistance.