AFN Alberta COVID-19 Bulletin

Wednesday, August 26 AFN Alberta is summarizing updates and information we are receiving on our website. All our previous bulletins can be found on this page as well: http://www.afnab.ca/News-and-Events/Coronavirus. AFN Alberta will be issuing its COVID-19 updates once weekly going forward, refer to the highlight below The next bulletin will be sent Wednesday, September 2.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS AB Testing Results August 19 August 26 Change

Tests Completed 846,681 912,302 +65,621

Total Positive 12,501 13,210 +709

Active 1,107 1,176 +69

Fatalities 227 235 +8

Recoveries 11,167 11,799 +632

COVID-19 Regional Data for Alberta COVID-19 in Alberta First Nations (As of August 25) Calgary zone - 7,205 Edmonton zone - 2,837 Calgary Zone - 51 Central zone - 572 South zone - 1,726 North zone - 838 North Zone - 55 South Zone - 50 Unidentified zone - 32 Central Zone - 3 Unknown Zone - 11 Total - 170 Recovered - 158 Deaths - 1

New Measures ● Dr. Hinshaw is urging people to keep gatherings small and meet outside, rather than inside, whenever possible. She is encouraging hosts of any gatherings to keep a written list of attendees for at least two weeks. ● Canada is moving to a national tracing app. Until it is available in Alberta, the province encourages use of the ABTraceTogether. ● Dr. Hinshaw recommends all Alberta teachers and school staff to get tested before September. Testing is recommended for children showing symptoms or with pre-existing medical conditions that have symptoms similar to COVID-19. ● Some pharmacies in Alberta are offering asymptomatic COVID-19 testing. Click here for the list of participating pharmacies. ● Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer says if you’ve been exposed to COVID, and are asymptomatic, it is best to get tested around 4 to 8 days after your known exposure. If you get tested before or after that window, the likelihood your test result is incorrect increases.

First Nation-specific Updates

● Minister Miller announced $82.5 million in mental health and wellness supports to help Indigenous communities adapt and expand mental wellness services. ● The Prime Minister announced $112 million in funding for First Nations’ return to school plans (details in the national updates section of the bulletin). ● The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada announced a second intake for their COVID-19 Stimulus Funds. ● Canada announced a new $40 million fund to support Indigenous businesses with their pandemic recovery. ● FNIHB is encouraging people to have their vaccinations up to date, including the upcoming flu vaccine, because of increased negative health outcomes from contracting other diseases along with COVID-19.

National and Regional Updates ● Comparing the first peak of the epidemic in Canada, young people are now comprising a “majority of cases over many weeks.” Of the cases reported last week, those under 40 accounted for 46% of new cases. ● The City of Edmonton, Clear Hills County, Mackenzie County, and County Of Northern Lights are all currently under a COVID-19 watch, click here to view the interactive map updated by Alberta Health. ● Alberta has published a re-entry tool kit to prepare parents and students for back-to-school, which includes information on how it will respond to cases and symptoms of COVID-19 in schools. ● The province released a risk assessment tool to help you know if you are at a high risk of having a severe outcome if you contract COVID-19, and how to mitigate it.

INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS FOR FIRST NATIONS *NEW* $82.5 M in Mental Health Funding for Indigenous Communities News Release Minister Marc Miller announced $82.5 million in mental health and wellness supports to help Indigenous communities adapt and expand mental wellness services. The First Nations envelope will be allocated based on discussions among regional partnership tables. There will also be some funds remaining to enable surge capacity and adaptation among national organizations and services, such as the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Hope for Wellness Line.

Funding is meant to help adapt services to the current COVID-19 context, including: ● expanding access to culturally appropriate services such as on the land activities, community-based health supports and mental wellness teams; ● adapting mental health services, such as virtual counselling, to meet increased demand; and

● supporting Indigenous partners in developing innovative strategies to address substance use and to improve access to treatment services.

*NEW* Second Intake for Indigenous Tourism COVID-19 Stimulus Funds The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada announced a second intake for their COVID-19 Stimulus Funds. Indigenous tourism businesses are eligible for up to $25,000 in support. Click here for more details.

Updates from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) *NEW* Weekly Bulletin from Dr. Yacoub (attached) & Community Notice Dr. Yacoub, Alberta’s Senior Medical Officer of Health at FNIHB, sends a weekly bulletin to all First Nations. These bulletins provide updates to First Nations on COVID-19 from a public health perspective. Last week’s bulletin is attached. Also attached is a return to school checklist including COVID-19 public health consideration to assist First Nations communities in Alberta when planning for in-person school attendance.

*NEW* August 26 Bulletin: ISC Alberta Region is sending updates weekly to leadership on the current COVID-19 situation and response. Today’s bulletin (August 26) is attached. It includes the following information: ● CERB and EI Update from the Federal Government ● Mental Health and Wellness Support Funding ● Guidance on safely reopening schools ● Influenza and COVID 19. ● Dean Janvier departing from Special Leadership Liaison role.

CALL & MEETING SUMMARIES All Chiefs Meeting with Dr. Deena Hinshaw | Thursday, August 20 Chiefs across the region were invited to a teleconference call with Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, last Thursday. Key highlights: ● Dr. Hinshaw briefly spoke about the back-to-school plan and that it will be key to keep community transmission rates low in order to successfully maintain a full return to class. ○ The province is working on determining what that “threshold” of community transmission would be to make schools return to scenario 2, which would see children attending school in person during different dates. ● Dr. Hinshaw also said the province is conducting anonymous virology testing to determine the rate of previous COVID-19 exposure amongst the province’s population. ● Most Chiefs had questions about school reopening. Concerns were raised about the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and encouraging use of a product that doesn’t crack skin or isn’t flammable. Concerns were also expressed about busses in rural communities that will have multiple student “cohorts” mingling.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL UPDATES Summaries and information of the following can be found in the update below. ● $2B for Provinces’ and Territories’ Return to School Plans & $112M for First Nations’ Schools ● Federal Briefing on COVID-19 Response, August 25 ● Alberta Update on COVID-19, August 24

$2B for Provinces’ and Territories’ Return to School Plans & $112M for First Nations’ Schools News Release The Prime Minister today announced up to $2 billion in support for provinces and territories through the Safe Return to Class Fund. The fund will help provinces and territories with things like adapting learning spaces, improving air ventilation, increasing hand sanitation and hygiene, and purchases of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. The Prime Minister also announced an additional $112 million in funding for First Nations to ensure a safe return to school on reserves.

Federal Briefing on COVID-19 Response, August 25 Press Conference Dr. Tam and Dr.Njoo led a briefing on COVID-19 yesterday. Key Highlights: ● Comparing the first peak of the epidemic in Canada, young people are now comprising a “majority of cases over many weeks.” Of the cases reported last week, those under 40 accounted for 46% of new cases. ○ Among these, 20 to 29 year olds are over-represented, accounting for 25% of COVID19 cases last week but only 14% of the Canadian population. Cases in 30 to 39 year olds followed, accounting for 21% of recent cases. ● Dr. Tam, says the most concerning issue is that as COVID-19 continues to circulate in any age group, it builds a reservoir of the virus that can spill over, affecting others, young and old. ● A new Statistics Canada survey shows about one in seven Canadians are either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s made available. Dr. Tam says her team is focussed on increasing vaccine confidence. ○ Both Doctors cautioned about misinformation being spread online about the vaccine and called on the social media industry to partner with governments in addressing misinformation being shared on different platforms.

Alberta Update on COVID-19, August 24 Press Conference Dr. Hinshaw provided her update on the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta. Key Highlights:

● Most new cases of COVID-19 in the province are linked to social gatherings -- weddings, family get-togethers, funerals, meeting with friends, religious ceremonies, etc. ○ Dr. Hinsahw urged people to keep gatherings small, and meet outside rather than inside whenever possible. She is encouraging hosts of any gathering to keep a written list of attendees for at least two weeks. ● Dr. Hinshaw addressed young people in particular, urging them to keep their circle of friends small to protect others from the virus because it is spreading rapidly amongst their age group. ○ She encouraged people to not combine their different friend cohorts. ● As of August 24, 75 new active cases and 2 recovered cases are linked to Bible Pentecostal Church in north Edmonton. The province is also monitoring other outbreaks: ○ Peter Lougheed Centre, Calgary, five active cases. ○ Grey Nuns hospital, Edmonton, two active cases. ○ Good Samaritan Southgate Care Centre, three active cases, 80 recovered cases. (Two deaths over weekend, bringing total to 31). ○ Deadwood, Alta., (prayer meeting), seven active cases and 10 recovered in the province. ○ Lilydale chicken plant, Calgary, 11 active cases, two recovered.

IMPORTANT/USEFUL LINKS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ● The Alberta First Nation Governance Information Centre is publishing a weekly COVID-19 update with First Nations case count and epidemiological data. Click here to access the latest and previous reports (on the left sidebar of the webpage). ● Alberta Health is available on request to support First Nations in developing guidelines around ceremonies. Contact [email protected] for support. ● ISC is tracking the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations on their website. Data is updated Monday to Friday. Click here to view the webpage. ○ Click here to view national demographic data and epidemic curves. ● Applications for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) are available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The CECRA consists of forgivable loans for landlords to subsidize lost rent from small businesses, nonprofits and charitable organizations. ● Canada created a new web tool to help connect people with COVID-19 aid by asking questions and outlining programs people may be eligible for.Click here to access it. ● Canada created a web portal to help businesses find a wide range of COVID-19 support and other programs and services. Click here to access it. ● Canada created a web hub for buying and supplying PPE. Click here to access it. ● Canada launched the P-O-S-T Promise campaign in response to COVID-19. The details of the initiative can be found at postpromise.com ● Community-owned businesses can apply to the Aboriginal Business Investment fund (ABIF) for initiatives that “demonstrate social and economic benefits for their communities.” Alberta is providing up to $500,000 in investments through this call for proposals. Click here for more information. The closing date for applications is September 30. ● A COVID-19 Indigenous Business Task Force released their findings from a survey meant to analyze the impact of the pandemic on Indigenous businesses. Click here to read the report. Their work was funded by Indigenous Services Canada.