COVID-19

INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Mindimooyenh Health Clinic

BY RENEWING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE HUMAN AND SPIRITUAL WORLD WE CAN CREATE A SAFE SPACE OF CONNECTEDNESS TO HEAL, UNDERSTAND, BE HEARD AND GROW.

 COVID-19 VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS

NOW AVAILABLE!

The Ontario Native Women’s Association has opened the Mindimooyenh Health Clinic at our office located at 380 Ray Boulevard in Thunder Bay.

We are now hosting Urban Indigenous Focused Clinics of COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment only. The Mindimooyenh clinic prides itself in offering a holistic community member driven approach to vaccination and healthcare in a safe space.

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Indigenous community members and their families born in 2016 (i.e. turning 5 years old in 2021) and older are eligible at this time to receive of COVID-19 vaccines and will be able to start booking COVID-19 vaccination appointments online.

Mindimooyenh Registration Line

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE THE COVID-19 VACCINE?

If you do not have access to book online, or you have any questions:

Call: 807-697-1753

Email: vaccine@onwa.ca

Open: Monday to Friday between 9:00AM – 5:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Book your appointment online:

Mindimooyenh 

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Mindimooyenh – the “one who holds things together” in Ojibwe. It is a term that embodies women’s power and recognizes the pivotal role and hard-earned wisdom that Indigenous women and elders exercise within their families and communities. Women hold communities together through the renewed relationships with the human and spiritual world to create a space of connectedness to grow and heal. 
Adapted from Brenda. J Child – Holding Our World Together: Ojibwe Women and Survival of Community (2012)

I am honoured to have witnessed the determination of the Indigenous community and our hardworking dedicated staff who worked two jobs to support the Mindimooyenh clinic week after week. Their commitment to saving lives while bringing the comfort of our culture to the community during this difficult, stressful time was outstanding. Against the backdrop of a colonial system determined to dictate their wants and needs we stood our ground on the frontline providing solutions by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. We have so much to be proud of in the crucial work achieved behind the countless masks, PPE and important safety guidelines.

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Cora McGuire-Cyrette, Executive Director (ONWA)

My daughter is thrilled to have received her first vaccine and I don’t think that I could have asked for a more kind and pleasant experience than what we received. It might sound weird to say that we’re looking forward to coming to get our second doses but I’m pretty sure we’ll be happily heading there in a few weeks to see all the faces that I know were smiling behind those masks.

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A young mother shared about her experience at the clinic.

Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination plan

GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO

Safe and effective vaccines will help protect us against COVID-19. Learn about them and when they will be available in Ontario for you and your family.

COVID-19 Update  

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Reported COVID-19 Cases as of 4:30 PM EST on December 3, 2021​

• Globally: 265,032,033 total cases; 20,959,300 active cases; 5,256,081 deaths; 238,816,652 resolved

• USA: 49,790,362 total cases; 9,553,560 active cases; 807,224 deaths; 39,429,578 resolved

• Canada: 1,801,405 total cases; 27,369 active cases; 29,747 deaths; 1,744,289 resolved

• Ontario: 621,260 total cases; 7,217 active cases; 10,016 deaths; 604,027 resolved

(Source)

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Press Conference Highlights: November 08-12, 2021

• Over the weekend, Ontario and several other provinces confirmed cases of the new highly transmissible Omicron variant.

• COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Ontario with 1031 daily new cases reported on December 3, the highest reported increase since May 30, 2021.

• Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is strongly recommending all Canadians over the age of 50 and other vulnerable groups, such as health-care workers, Indigenous people and those living in congregate-care settings, get a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

• Starting on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., individuals in Ontario aged 50 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose.

• In Thunder Bay, the Mindimooyenh Health Clinic has reopened and is taking appointments for booster doses and the 5-11 age group.

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Canada wide updates:

• Nationally, daily case counts have been gradually rising, with high infection rates persisting in many areas. During the latest 7-day period (Nov 26-Dec 2), an average of 2,821 new cases were reported, which is an increase of 8% compared to the previous week.

• The latest data shows that an average of 1,540 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Nov 26-Dec 2), which is 4% lower than last week. This includes, on average, 465 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), 1% less than last week and an average of 19 deaths were reported daily.

• On First Nations reserves, as of December 2, Indigenous Services Canada is aware of 50,495 confirmed positive cases; 837 active cases; 2,360 hospitalizations; 49,115 recovered; 543 deaths.

• Currently, 84% of the population aged 5+ has received at least one dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine, and 80% are fully vaccinated nation-wide.

• Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) provided updated advice on COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster doses as well as recommendations on the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in adolescents and young adults, specifically.

• NACI is strongly recommending all Canadians over the age of 50 and other vulnerable groups, such as health-care workers, Indigenous people and those living in congregate-care settings, get a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

• Foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada: Botswana; Egypt; Eswatini; Lesotho; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; South Africa; and Zimbabwe.

• Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with status under the Indian Act, regardless of their vaccination status or having had a previous history of testing positive for COVID-19, who have been in any of these 10 countries in the previous 14 days, will be subject to enhanced pre-entry and arrival testing, screening, and quarantine measures.

• The Government of Canada has signed agreements with Merck and Pfizer for access to their COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments. Pending Health Canada authorization, Canada will receive deliveries totaling over 1.5 million courses of COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments.

• As of November 30, Canadians who depart and re-enter Canada within 72 hours, no longer need proof of a negative COVID-19 test to return home.

• Effective December 6 at 12:01 a.m. ET, Canadians and other foreign visitors who arrive by air to the United States will need to present a negative COVID-19 test no more than one day before their departure, regardless of their vaccination status. Fully vaccinated travelers entering the U.S. by land from Canada do not need to present a negative COVID-19 test, as long as they show proof of vaccination.

• Canada announced new testing requirements for air travelers. All air travelers coming from outside Canada, with the exception of the United States, will now need to be tested at the airport when they land in Canada. Those who are vaccinated will have to isolate until they get a negative result, and those who are unvaccinated will continue to have to isolate for the full 14 days and test on day one and day eight of their quarantine. So long as these travelers have a safe place to isolate, they do not have to spend their isolation in a government quarantine hotel. The date these new requirements come into effect has not been released.

Ontario specific updates:

• On December 3, Ontario reported 1031 new COVID-19 cases, the highest reported daily increase since May 30, 2021. This marks an 11% increase over the same time last week. The 7-day average of daily cases is at 866, up 21% from last Friday and its highest point since early June.

• As of December 3, there are 286 people in hospital, 146 of which are in ICU due to COVID-19. The average daily positivity rate this week was 2.9% and the effective reproduction number is at 1.12.

• According to the latest estimate from Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, cases are currently on track to double every three and a half weeks.

• 84% of individuals aged 5+ have received at least one dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine, and 80% of individuals 5+ are fully vaccinated.

• Starting on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., individuals aged 50 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose.

• Beginning in January, Ontario will further expand eligibility for booster doses based on age and risk, with an interval of six to eight months from the second dose.

COVID-19 Related Press Releases November 22 – 26, 2021

Provincial:

• Ontario Hits a Major COVID-19 Vaccine Milestone. December 2, 2021.

• Ontario Accelerating Booster Eligibility to Adults Aged 50+. December 2, 2021.

Federal:

• Statement from Minister Duclos on first cases of Omicron variant of concern in Canada. November 28, 2021.

• Government of Canada introduces additional measures to address COVID-19 Omicron variant of concern. November 30, 2021.

• Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada. December 3, 2021

• Statement from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH): Update on the Use of COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters and on COVID-19 Vaccines and the Risk of Myocarditis and Pericarditis. December 3, 2021.

• Government of Canada signs agreements for COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments. December 3, 2021.

Additional Resources

• ONWA COVID-19 Resource Page

• Ontario Vaccine Booking System. Vaccines are also available through your local pharmacy.

• Ontario’s guidelines on what vaccinated vs unvaccinated people must do after a potential exposure to the virus.

• List of urban Indigenous, community led vaccination clinics.

• Click here for information for First Nations and Inuit communities in preparing for, monitoring, and responding to COVID-19.

• Ontario COVID-19 Data Tool | Public Health Ontario

• Take a COVID-19 self-assessment if you have symptoms or were exposed to COVID-19.

• Daily updates for COVID-19 in Ontario and in Canada

• An interactive map of COVID-19 cases across Canada

• Learn about Ontario’s Vaccine Strategy, including vaccine safety.

• Additional information about vaccine safety, concerns, and possible side effects

• Download the COVID Alert App.

• COVID-19: Support for People has information about available/free mental health services and supports.

• Continue practicing public health measures to keep ourselves, families, and communities safe.

• Through the Wellness Together Canada online portal, people of all ages across the country can access immediate, free, and confidential mental health and substance use supports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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