Nickel Belt News
Volume 58 Number 11
Friday, March 16, 2018
Thompson, Manitoba
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Wednesday, April 28, 2021
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Volume 61 • Issue 17
All northern residents and workers 18 and over now eligible for COVID Book a way to preserve and pass on vaccines, province announces April 26 memories of growing up in Churchill
BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
All residents of the Northern Regional Health Authority and Churchill 18 and over are eligible to book appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations as of 11:45 a.m. April 26, Manitoba vaccine task force medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer announced Monday. Vaccination eligibility is also expanded to include anyone who regularly works in the region, regardless of their job. Residents of the Seven Oaks West neighbourhood in Winnipeg who are 18 and older are now eligible for vaccination as well. “This recognizes the increased risk faced by many people in the north,” Reimer said at an April 26 technical briefing, which include barriers to health care such as remote geography and the need to travel long distances to access medical care. “We’ve very clearly seen that they have had higher rate of transmission throughout waves two and three. All of those factors combined put them near the top of the list when we thought about the priority communities.” Northern residents have also seen a higher rate of severe outcomes related to COVID-19, Reimer said. Staffing at the Thompson vaccination super site and at pop-up sites in Flin Flon and The Pas will need to be ramped up to ensure that they can accommodate increased demand, Reimer said. “All other communities are already being reached through our northern priority approach," said Reimer. "People who are now eligible should make their appointment as soon as possible." Vaccine appointments can be booked by calling 1-844-626-8222 or online at protectmb.ca.
Province bans gatherings at home as COVID cases rise
Possible public exposures to a COVID variant at Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. Thompson McDonald’s BY IANGRAHAM GRAHAM For all the21 harsh weather to write is things that have I’m15just as bad, not verypublic safe health thing swallow when people say taurants limited to you groups of ‘Oh, region, in the north,right?’ 12 in was last set of astrict BY IAN announced April EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET Though she’sgovernment now written Manitoba’s a book about her experienmade some adjustments April ces growing up in 26 to public healthChurchill, orders in Addictions Foundation of response to rising COVID-19 Manitoba northern director case numbers, test positivity Gisele deMeulles said writand hospitalizations. ingEffective wasn’t April something she 28 at 12:01 always thought would a.m. for four weeksshe until May do. 26, the orders forbid indoor or “In my youth atI private never outdoor gatherings felt good gatherings at writing,” she residences, of more said. “But when I moved than 10 people in outdoor pubto Thompson get into lic places and captoattendance the schoolservices of social at religious at awork, maxat thatofpoint I hador to25 write imum 10 people per for and realized, centuniversity of a building’s capacity, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, whichever is lower. Masks right?’ certainly must beI worn at alldeveloped time dura of skillservices. in university inglotreligious and came out of there with Gyms and fitness centres a very strong skill in my must ensure three metres of writing and confi dence in distance between patrons, food my writing. I write very courts in malls must close clear and it. It’s there. down and that’s patio dining at resSome people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
four people or less. Day camps when I get can have a through.” maximum of 10 DeMeulles said indoors she wrote children, whether or her book, titled Whispers in outdoors, and retail stores are the Wind: the limited to 25Stories per centfrom capacity North Life in Churchill or 250-people, whicheverfor is a couple of reasons. lower. “I justnow sortwe’re of thought, “Right essentialyou know what, hisly where we were at this the end of tory, this stuff that’s in my October,” said chief provincial head, it’s going to Dr. be Brent gone public health officer if I don’tatwrite it down,” she Roussin a press conference said. “My kids are not goon Monday. “We’re in a very ing to get it if I don’t do precarious place right now.”it and it’s something alThe average age of I’ve patients ways wanted my mom to in intensive care is going down do. My mom’s an elder and and the number of cases is she’s an advancing artist, she’samong got so rapidly many stories bepeoplewonderful in their 20s and 30s, cause she always tells her Roussin said. stories Parks in Thereatwere 210Canada new cases Churchill I’ve always of the virusand announced in the hounded ‘Please, just province onher, Monday, includput it on tape, I will write it ing 157 in Winnipeg, 19 in for because yourhealth story the you Prairie Mountain is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,
the Interlake-Eastern health reIgion need capture for andtoseven in thethem southern my grandchildren really health region. One additionbecause theyannounced, will be lostthe if al death was I968th don’t.” Manitoban to die from She also has reputation COVID-19, andathe five-day as a storyteller herself. test positivity rate was 7.6 per “I had such a varied hiscent. tory and Iwere would148 tell people There Manistories and they would go, tobans in the hospital, includ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, ing 83 with active infections. ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d Thirty-seven people werego, in ‘You didn’t that,with did intensive care,do 21all of them you? got to be really activeYou’ve infections. These hosold.’ I was like, ‘No, actually pitalization numbers include I17did all that before I was northerners, nine of whom 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” have active infections. There back, some of areLooking six northern residents in those experiences are things intensive care, including four she do again. withmight active not infections. “I did some pretty bizarre If the orders are followed stuff like fuel hauls the and Manitoba meets into its goal high Arctic at -35,” said of administering 300,000 deMeulles. “It over didn’t vaccine doses thedawn next on until these after.could That was fourme weeks, be thea very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel
orders, Roussin said. thought exciting Premierthat Brianwas Pallister said until the plane landed and previous generations of Manithey the tobansstarted made farthrowing greater sacrifuel I realized, ‘Holy ficesoff thanand current residents are cats, was probably sitting beingIasked to. on“These a bomb.’” are small sacriAnother thing fices to make to protectthat the spurred on family was and the well-beingher of your hard times Churchill friends,” saidfacing the premier. since the Hudson Bay RailThe new northern cases way suspended included five in operations the Island north of Gillamdistrict last spring. Lake health and “It used to be a really three in the Gillam/Fox Lake thriving large On community health district. Sunday, and it’s just dwindled down the province announced that to such a small population Chemawawin Cree Nation now,” deMeulles had banned public says. gatherings Though she’s nottothere and asked residents stay any and homelonger, unless her theyparents are essential her sister and other family workers, seeking medical care members still are. for esor testing or shopping “My cousin owns the sential supplies. Non-medical hardware store there,” she masks must be worn outside says. the home. Because of that, deMeulles finds it hard to
should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it easier to live. had been viable she would “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchchoose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go have the option to do that? back home, standing on the I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on feeling they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an BY IAN like GRAHAM in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET really for them because I small and youApril feel great.” Thesad provincial government announced 21 that think the people of ChurchNow that got there had been possible public exposures to she’s the B.1.1.7 one book under her belt, ill really want to thrive. COVID-19 variant at the Thompson McDonald’s on April They’ve their 8, 10,11, built 13 and 14. worlds deMeulles says she may try there. How would we feelto the to produce another. variant The potential exposures United Kingdom if someone came to you and “I have another book8,in of concern took place from 4 p.m. to midnight April 6 said, ‘I’m sorry, you 10 have to11,me,” says. “It’s a darker a.m. to 2 p.m. April and and 2she p.m. to 10 p.m. April leave community story, more times aboutand person13 andyour 14.home Anyone who was there at those feels and we’re going to displace al growth and struggles. cold- or flu-like symptoms should isolate immediately you and somewhere get tested. else and all Maybe in the next five years your loved ones and your it’s something I’ll focus on history is gone?’” doing.”
