Advertisement

Blood Tribe seeing spike in COVID-19 cases

Click to play video: 'Blood Tribe seeing spike in COVID-19 cases'
Blood Tribe seeing spike in COVID-19 cases
WATCH ABOVE: The Blood Tribe has seen a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. As Taz Dhaliwal reports, the community is trying its best to mitigate the concerning situation and get important information out to members – Jan 15, 2021

The Blood Tribe says it is working around the clock to deal with significant issues and developments as COVID-19 cases spike in their community.

The Blood reserve had 23 active cases on Monday, and as of Friday morning, that number rose to 65, almost tripling in less than a week.

Four people who tested positive are in hospital. So far, there have been 214 cases and two deaths in the community.

On Sunday, the Kainai Board of Education announced all classes would be transitioning to online learning starting on Jan. 11., and would continue until Friday due to the increase in cases.

The board is expected to update the plan sometime this weekend.

Story continues below advertisement

At the beginning of January, 18 residents and 30 staff members were vaccinated at the Kainai Continuing Care Centre, a facility that was forced to take restrictive measures following positive cases in November.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Staff travelled to Pincher Creek to receive the Pfizer vaccine, and residents were able to receive the Moderna vaccine at their residence. Both vaccines require two doses.

The Blood Tribe does not have specific dates on when the second dosage will be administered, but says that will be happening sometime soon and within the required timeframe, which is 21 to 28 days.

The Blood Tribe Department of Health continues to review at-risk groups and work with the community and province to determine further priorities for vaccination.

The reserve also continues to be under a daily curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Chief Roy Fox will be making an announcement online in regard to the spike in cases sometime in the coming days. The address will contain new safety measures recently approved by Blood Tribe council.

Blood Tribe members can head to bloodtribe.org for more information. Daily COVID-19 updates are also posted on the website.

Story continues below advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices