More than 24,000 Indigenous people in 113 B.C. communities have received COVID-19 vaccine as Phase 2 begins

As the B.C. government enters Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccination plan, thousands of Indigenous people in rural and remote communitiesare celebrating getting their first and second doseof the vaccine.

But it'snot without mishapsincluding what leaders call a lack communication, racismand outstanding questions about vaccinating urban community members.

More than 19,200First Nations peoplehave received their first dose of eitherModerna orPfizervaccines and 5,258have received their seconddose. In total,24,515Indigenous people in 113 communities have received vaccine.

"We have been anticipatingthis day for an extremely long time, but we will never be able to get back what we lost"said Chief Grace Georgeof the Katzie First Nation whose sister died of COVID-19.

The provincial government made vaccines a priorityon First Nations reservessince they aredisproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to limited housing and health care facilities andlack of trust in the health system.

Katzie leaders held a ceremony for thenurses and the vaccine in theircommunity on Friday.

"It's a happy day for me, it is the beginningof the end of the pandemic,"said KatzieCoun.Rick Bailey who was among the first to be vaccinated in his Fraser Valley community.

Bailey,61,whoalmost lost his brother to COVID-19,said he was initially hesitant about beingvaccinatedafter hearing aboutallergic reactionsin the U.K.After doing some research,he realised it is safe and effective.

And he is not alone, 81 per centof the Katzie community has beenvaccinated.

Baileywas excited to return in 42 days to get his second shot,but those doses are now put on pause,which has caused some confusion.

Battling misinformation and miscommunication

Some Indigenous leaderswere not briefed on thereason forthe delay of the second doseuntil after the public was informed, leading to rumoursthat they were no longerbeing prioritized.

In fact, the province announced Monday it is extendingthe time between first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to four months. Itmeans every eligible person in B.C. will receive the first dose ofvaccine by mid-to late July.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry saiddata from the B.C. Centre for Disease Controlshows "miraculous" protection of at least 90 per cent from the first dose of aModerna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

For George, on top of addressingcommunication gaps,she's had to deal withmisinformation and racismfrom non-Indigenous people who don't understandwhy First Nationshave been prioritized.

"We sadly havemany examples of how COVID-19 has impacted First Nations communities," she said.

This winter, COVID-19 cases among First Nations in the northernregion were doublethat of the rest of population and triplein the Vancouver Island region.

She said Indigenous communities on-reserve face overcrowding with limited housing andmany live in multigenerational homes, increasing the riskof transmittingthe virus.

Some Indigenous people are also fearful of hospitals given the racism they'veexperienced, making the risks more severe.

Urban Indigenous left out

Indigenous leaderssay their relatives and community members living off-reserve face the sameimperils, but are not being prioritized.

"Itdoesn't matter where they live, our Indigenous populations are at an increased risk," saidNisga'a Valley Health Authority CEO,Brandi Trudell-Davis.

"Iwould like to know that there is some considerations [for those urban populations]," she said.

About78 per cent of all Indigenous people in B.C. including all First Nations members, Metis and Inuit don't live on reserves.

Shannon McDonald, acting chief medical officer at the First Nations Health Authority, says she has been advocating for urban Indigenous people from day one.

"The virus has impacted populations, for example, in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver quite heavily and people have gotten sicker and there have been several deaths there," she added.

The Ministry of Health said it willvaccinate Indigenous people aged 65 and over living off-reserve in its currentPhase 2

Indigenous peoples aged 45-65 will be able to be vaccinated in Phase 3 from April through June.

CBC British Columbia is hosting atownhallonMarch 10to answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions.

You can find the details atcbc.ca/ourshot, as well as opportunities to participate in two community conversations on March3, focused on outreach to Indigenous and multicultural communities.

Have a question about the vaccine, or the rollout plan in B.C.?Email us:bcasks@cbc.ca