INTERESTING NEWS Canada’s Oldest First Nations Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product Vol. 47 - No. 06—March 26, 2020 haas^i>sa Sales Agreement No. 40047776
Ahousaht turns to the ocean during COVID crisis First Nation draws on its territorial resources to help with grocery store shortages during pandemic virus panic By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter Ahousaht, BC - In the darkness of the ever-updating COVID-19 news comes a ray of brightness from community banding together to take care of one another. For more than a week grocery shelves have been stripped of staples like toilet paper, disinfectant cleaner, flour, rice, pasta, canned goods and meat. More and more, people are heeding the warning to limit travel and not congregate in crowded places. People in isolated villages like Ahousaht wonder if it’s worth the expensive trip to Tofino or beyond to search for essentials. And then there’s people like Luke Swan Jr. and Tom Campbell, who put out a call for anyone wishing to volunteer to fish for the community. “We do this all the time, even without COVID-19 we still go fishing,” said Tom Campbell, adding that the weather is nice so it is a good time to fish. “I been doing this for years, basically all my life, sharing with community.” Luke Swan Jr., Ahousaht fisheries manager, concurred. “Just now it needs to be done more than ever, for ones who can’t get out (fishing),” he said. And so, a few boats with about 15 volunteers left the village for a day of fishing. They loaded up with cod and red
snapper. Along the way some sea urchins and crab were harvested. Campbell says they stopped in at Hot Springs Cove to drop off about 30 pieces of fish for the Hesquiaht people before making their way home to Ahousaht. He went on to say that he was raised on these teachings, of taking care of others and has lived by these values all his life. “I remember doing these kinds of trips with my late uncles and other relatives; my friend Rocky and others who [are] not so fortunate anymore,” Campbell said. People in the village are grateful for the fresh fish. “Thank you to all the fishermen that gave their own time and money to feed the elders and some families today, here at home,” wrote Dori Keitlah on social media. “When you are faced with unforeseen circumstances it is acts of kindness and love that keep Ahousaht going.” Volunteers in the community planned to hunt ducks, then harvest clams for the community in mid March. Other members in the community are organizing the collection of donations for a local food bank. They are looking for both fresh produce and canned goods to distribute in the village. “It was a fun day out with guys; I had my uncle Angus out with Arnie, Richard, Frenchie and myself on my boat. Good healing laughs and memories made for sure,” said Campbell.
Photo by June Titian
Jon Manson of TFN delivers fresh crab to Ahousaht to help during the crisis.
Testing clinic now available by referral in Port Alberni By Eric Plummer Ha-Shilth-Sa Editor Port Alberni, BC - As health authorities struggle to curb the continued rise of coronavirus cases across the province, a new testing centre has opened in Port Alberni. But due to limited supplies and capacity, screenings will only be provided by referral for those who have the highest risks while infected with COVID-19. The new screening clinic opened on Thursday, March 19. “It is important that people do not attend a screening clinic. Access is by referral and appointment only,” states a media release from Island Health. “It is also important to understand that the majority of people will not meet the requirement for testing at a screening clinic.” Those testing requirements include the COVID-19 symptoms, which are a fever, muscle soreness, a new dry cough and shortness of breath. But to get a test one
must also have respiratory difficulties that likely require hospitalisation, be a health-care worker showing signs of the coronavirus, a symptomatic long-term care resident or among those affected by a cluster outbreak. Otherwise, a test is not deemed necessary for those with mild COVID-19 symptoms. “The Ministry of Health and Island Health strongly urges anyone who has symptoms – including a fever, cough, sneezing, sore throat or difficulty breathing – to self isolate for 14 days. People experiencing these symptoms do not require testing,” said the Island Health release. The new screening clinic in Port Alberni will compliment a testing lab already operating in Victoria, where results can be determined in 24 hours or longer, depending on the travel required from where the sample was taken. Testing for COVID-19 uses swab samples taken from either the nasal cavity or throat.
Inside this issue... Nurses available by phone..........................................Page 3 What NCN residents of the U.S are seeing................Page 4 Tourism in the COVID-19 pandemic.........................Page 8 Port Alberni hosts a career fair.................................Page 11 Organizers cancel JANT...........................................Page 15
Despite continual urgings from health authorities to frequently wash hands, maintain a distance from others while in public and stay home unless necessary, coronavirus cases continue to climb. On Tuesday, March 24, B.C. officials announced an additional 78 cases over the previous day for a total of 617 across the province. More were reported for Vancouver Island, where 44 cases are confirmed. During her daily press conference, B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonny Henry ordered all restaurants to serve by take-out or delivery only. With B.C. under a provincial state of emergency, she now has the authority to issue such orders in the interest of controlling the spread of an extremely contagious virus. “I know how challenging it is when we are dealing with a virus where we have no cure, we have no vaccine, we have no way of preventing it,” said Henry. “It has been a tremendous challenge for our health-care centre to watch what’s
happening over this last few weeks and months around the world.” While the death toll among those infected by COVID-19 continues to rise each day, a glimmer of insight into the new illness can be found in Italy, where the coronavirus has caused more fatalities than any other country. In late February researchers began an experiment in Vo Vecchio, a northern town where the first European death was reported. All 3,300 residents of Vo were tested for the virus. Led by the University of Padua, the study found that three per cent of the town tested positive, but 50 to 75 per cent of those with the virus exhibited no symptoms. All of those infected and in close contact with them were placed under strict quarantine. When another town-wide test was conducted days later, a 0.3 per cent growth in transmission was found, leading some researchers to consider the value of isolating even those who show mild of no symptoms to stop the spread of COVID-19.
If undeliverable, please return to: Ha-Shilth-Sa P.O. Box 1383, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M2