'Exactly what we were afraid of': COVID-19 spreading among Sandy Bay First Nation children
COVID-19 cases are growing among children on Sandy Bay First Nation in Manitoba.
"I think where it started at the beginning was two children that are going to schools outside of the reserve," said the community's pandemic coordinator Virginia Lukianchuk.
"We've had remote learning in our community for some time because this is exactly what we were afraid of."
Lukianchuk said there are currently 31 active COVID-19 cases in the community. Of those, 16 are among children under the age of 18 -- some as young as 16 months old.
Currently, 37 homes are in isolation.
"It is really concerning, but we also have to remember that a lot of the homes are overcrowded," said Lukianchuk.
"There are a lot of children in one home, and if you have one positive child, it's hard to get them to isolate from the other children, so this is where we're seeing the spread within homes."
Most of the cases are the B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the Alpha variant.
Lukianchuk said the community has been under a stay-at-home order for several weeks, has an 11 p.m. curfew in place, and has been following the provincial COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
She said approximately 50 per cent of Sandy Bay's adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 25 per cent has been fully vaccinated.
Across the province, data up until June 10 shows 50.3 per cent of those living on reserve have been fully vaccinated while 31.9 per cent of First Nations people off-reserve have received both doses.
Pfizer is currently the only vaccine approved for those aged 12 to 17, but Moderna is what has been primarily available for First Nations communities.
"We have allocated Pfizer doses to our First Nations partners to be able to ensure that all youth who would like to be vaccinated on First Nations are able to," said Johanu Botha, co-lead of Manitoba's Vaccine Implementation Task Force.
Clinics have been held in Sandy Bay and will continue to help vaccinate youth.
"[Uptake is] not as good as we would like, but we're still seeing a pretty good uptake," said Lukianchuk.
"It's been a lot better just in this past week because of the numbers of the virus spreading amongst children, so we are getting a decent uptake now."
Members of Sandy Bay are being reminded to only leave their homes for essential reasons and to not gather with anyone outside their household at this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.