IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND NOTICES
FOR FIRST NATIONS LEADERSHIP

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 86

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 85

About 68% of First Nations people 12 years or older have received 2 or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Nov 22, 2021. This is only slightly higher than the previous week. About 5% have one dose, a number that continues to decrease. Unless the number of people getting their 1st dose begins to increase, vaccination coverage rate among First Nations may hit a maximum of only 73% when all those with 1st dose eventually get their second doses.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 84

The number of new positive results increased by 36% to 151.  This is higher than the peak of the 4th wave and is the 5th increase (ie peak? wave?) since the pandemic began.  Of note, the increase across Ontario is not as dramatic as that seen among First Nations.​

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 83

Vaccination: At least 67% of First Nations people 12 years or older have received 2 or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Nov 8, 2021. Vaccination rates are highest in the Central area but increasing everywhere, particularly in North East. Rates within First Nations communities are now similar to those outside communities. The group with the lowest vaccination rate is people 20-39 years old.

Testing: As of Nov 14, 2021, there were 111 new positives, almost double the previous week’s total of 58. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,746.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 80

As of Oct 24, 2021, there were 53 new positives, slightly higher than the previous week’s total of 41. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,530. Test volume decreased in First Nations and across Ontario. Increases in sub-regions remain small and similar to last week, with Southeast remaining the highest. All other measures (cumulative positivity, hospitalization and death rates) held steady among First Nations and across Ontario.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 79

As of Oct 17, 2021, the 7-day total of new positives was 41, holding steady from the previous week’s total of 43. (The actual number for the 6-day period ending Oct 17, 2021 was 35). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,477. Increases in sub-regions remain small and similar to last week, with Southeast remaining the highest. All other measures (test volume, cumulative positivity, hospitalization and death rates) held steady among First Nations and across Ontario.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 78

As of Oct 11, 2021, the 7-day total of new positives was 43, holding steady from the previous week’s total of 42. (The actual number for the 8-day period ending Oct 11, 2021 was 49). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,442.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 77

There were 42 new positive results as of Oct 3, 2021, down considerably from the previous week’s total of 76. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,393.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 76

There were 76 new positive results as of Sep 26, 2021, down from the previous week’s total of 92. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,351.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 75

New positive results held steady at 92 as of Sep 19, 2021, almost exactly the same as the previous week’s total of 93. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,275.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 74

New positive results decreased somewhat as of Sep 12, 2021. The 7-day estimate for the period ending Sep 12, 2021 was 85, slightly less than 93 from the previous week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 5,183.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 73

New positive results almost doubled to 93 as of August 29, 2021 (up from 50 in the previous week).
As feared, First Nations data is now appearing to follow the Ontario trend of increasing numbers.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 72

New positive results among First Nations increased again this week,. suggesting that First Nations might be following the Ontario trend in increasing numbers. Ontario positive results continue to increase for 5th week in a row.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 71

New positive results increased again to 40 as of August 22, 2021 (from 25 in the previous week). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,968.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 69

New positive results increased to 29 in the 6-day period ending of August 8, 2021. The adjusted 7-day total of 34 is not quite double the total of 19 last week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,903.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 68

New positive results remained low at 19 as of August 2, 2021 (compared to 21 last week). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,874.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 67

New positive results decreased for the fourth week in a row and are down to 21 as of July 25, 2021 (compared to 30 last week). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,856.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 66

New positive results decreased again this week and are down to 30 as of July 11, 2021 (compared to 42 last week).

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 64

 There were 87 new positive results among First Nations people as of July 4, 2021. This appears to be a return to previous levels after a spike of 129 new positives in the previous week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,766.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 62

There were 80 new positive results among First Nations people as of June 20, 2021. This is a decrease of more than 50% compared to last week’s total of 183. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,552.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 61

There were 183 new positive results among First Nations people as of June 6, 2021. This is 20% more than last week’s total of 153. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 4,473.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 58

There was a marked increase to 178 new positive results among First Nations people over the past 8 days ending May 24, 2021. When adjusted down to 156 for a one-week period, this is still higher than the previous week (124). The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 3,993.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 56

There were 134 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending May 9, 2021. This is a decrease from the total of 151 last week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 3,691.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 55

There were 151 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending May 2, 2021. This is a small increase from the total of 140 last week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 3,558.

Health Sector Update: First Nations COVID-19 Testing in Ontario – Weekly Report 54

There were 140 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Apr 25, 2021. This is a decrease from the total of 167 last week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 3,407.

April 8, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 51 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 141 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Apr 4, 2021, down from 154 last week.  This is the 5th week in a row with decreasing totals.  The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 2,957.  Consideration of how to avoid the historical pattern of following the Ontario trend (which is increasing now) is very important at this time.

April 1, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 50 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 179 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Mar 21, 2021, down from 224 last week.  This is a 20% decrease and the third week in a row with decreasing totals.  The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 2,664.

March 26, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 49 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 154 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Mar 28, 2021, down from 179 last week.  This is the 4th week in a row with decreasing totals.  The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 2,817.  However, this should be interpreted in light of the INCREASING trend in cases across Ontario.

March 18, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 48 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 224 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Mar 14, 2021. This is a slight decrease from last week. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 2,487.

March 11, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 47 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 237 new positive results among First Nations people over the past week ending Mar 7, 2021. This is a slight decrease after 3 weeks of increasing totals. The number of positive results among First Nations to date is 2,264.

February 24, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 45 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 161 new positive results among First Nations people over the past 6 days ending Feb 21,
2021. This equates to about 188 new results for a 7-day period, the highest single-week increase to
date, passing the previous high of 183 seen in mid-January 2021.

February 19, 2021  - Food Security Funding and Resources

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Indigenous communities in many ways, including with regards to food.  Concerns can be wide ranging from how to safely shop and prepare food to minimize the transmission of COVID-19, to having access to enough healthy food for families and communities. It is important that Indigenous communities have easy and fast access to trustworthy, factual, effective and culturally relevant resources to support their health and wellness during this challenging time. Below is a list of food-related funding sources, resources and websites to access a broad range of food security-related supports, information and services.

February 19, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Newsletter - Volume 3

Second Harvest has received an additional $8 million from the Government of Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund, to help improve access to healthy food to charities and nonprofits supporting people experiencing food insecurity.

February 19, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 44 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 166 new positive results among First Nations people over the past 8 days. This equates to about 145 new results for a 7-day period, a large increase over previous weeks.

January 28, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 41 – COVID 19 Testing Data

There were 167 new positive results among First Nations people this week, nearly 10% less than the previous week. This is the first decrease in the weekly total of new positive results in over 6 weeks. Ontario numbers continue to decrease as well.

January 25, 2021  - Appendix 10: Case & Contact Management COVID-19 Surge Support Model

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen sustained increases in case counts. This has made the implementation of the case and contact management (C&CM) standards identified in Ministry of Health (MOH) policy challenging for some public health units (PHUs). To support the C&CM program overall, the MOH has undertaken a number of initiatives to strengthen the program across a newly networked C&CM system.

January 22, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Newsletter

The Chiefs of Ontario Health Secretariat is here to support you in any way possible as we work through all of the uncertainties together.

January 15, 2021  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 39 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The 153 new positive results among First Nations people in the week ending Jan 10, 2021. This is 2.5 times the total for last week which, until this week, was the highest total to date. This increase is consistent with the fears that there was more socializing over the holiday season.

December 18, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 35 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The 44 new positive results among First Nations people this week is 70% more than last week. Relative increases in positive results were higher this week with 16% more in Northeast and Southeast.

December 10, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 34 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The total of 26 new positive results among First Nations people this week is about the same as the previous week. Like last week, most (20) were among people living OUTSIDE communities.

December 3, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 33 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The total of 27 new positive results among First Nations people this week is a small decrease from the previous week. The vast majority (22) were among people living OUTSIDE communities.

December 3, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Age-Group Analysis

Since the end of September 2020, the number of positive test results among First Nations people in Ontario has increased. The largest increases were among people 20-39 years and, to a slightly lesser degree, 40-64 years (red and green lines, respectively).

November 26, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 32 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The total of 33 new positive results among First Nations people this week is a small increase over the previous week. 12 of this week’s positive results were in communities.

November 25, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Communique – Health, Social and Education

​As COVID-19 continues to evolve, Chiefs of Ontario Secretariat will be providing updates concerning technical highlights and vital priority areas.

November 22, 2020  - HELP PREVENT THE FLU WITH FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT

As your body responds to the weakened virus and begins to produce an immune response, you may experience some flu-like symptoms. If you work or live with people who have a weakened immune system, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before getting FluMist® Quadrivalent.

November 20, 2020  - COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open —Lockdown Measures

This document presents a summary of the zones in Ontario’s response framework. Please refer to O. Reg. 82/20, (Lockdown) O. Reg. 263/20 (Red-Control) and O. Reg. 364/20 (Green-Prevent, Yellow-Protect, and Orange-Restrict) or a full list of businesses and organizations permitted to operate, including the associated public health and workplace safety measures.

November 20, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 31 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The total of 31 new positive results among First Nations people this week is a small increase over the previous week. 11 of this week’s positive results were in communities.

November 11, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 30 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The total of 21 new positive results among First Nations people this week is a small increase over the previous week. 9 of this week’s positive results were in communities.

October 30, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 28 – COVID 19 Testing Data

The number of positive results remains high among First Nations people, with 38 new positive results in the past week. 17 were in communities.

October 29, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Communique – Health, Social and Education

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update October 16 , 2020

October 16, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 26 – COVID 19 Testing Data

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update October 16 , 2020

October 9, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 25 – COVID 19 Testing Data

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update October 9 , 2020

September 25, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 22 – COVID 19 Testing Data

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update September 25 , 2020

September 17, 2020 -  COVID-19 Chiefs of Ontario Bi-Weekly Update 

Greetings from the Health, Social and Education Sectors of the Chiefs of Ontario Secretariat. We are resuming our bi-weekly communiques to you and your communities regarding specific COVID-19 related issues. As this virus continues to evolve and concerns increase about a second wave, we will continue to share technical highlights from each of our sectors.

September 10, 2020  - Chiefs of Ontario Health Report 21 – COVID 19 Testing Data

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update September 10 , 2020

AUGUST 18, 2020  - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 19

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Monday, August 24, 2020 (covering tests completed August 16 - August 22)

AUGUST 17, 2020  - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 18

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Monday August 17, 2020 (covering tests completed August 9 - August 15)

AUGUST 10, 2020  - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 17

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Tuesday, August 10, 2020 (covering tests completed August 2 - August 8)

AUGUST 6, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 16

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Tuesday, August 4, 2020 (covering tests completed July 26 - August 1)

JULY 29, 2020 - WEEKLY PANDEMIC UPDATE: Day 141

Day 141, COVID-19 Pandemic Update -  Summary of First Nations Cases in Ontario 

JULY 28, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 15

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Tuesday, July 28, 2020 (covering tests completed July 19 - July 25)

JULY 21, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 14

Please find Report 14 for COVID-19 Testing data and results. You will notice that this report that the cases have risen by 23, the reason for this is that we are now using up to date data set from the Ontario Government called IPHIS – Public Health Information System data. 

JULY 17, 2020 - Guidance on Re-Opening Northern, Remote, Isolated, and Indigenous Communities 

This document draws upon the April 30, 2020, recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Federal/Provincial/Territorial (F/P/T) Special Advisory Committee (SAC) on COVID-191 for Lifting of Restrictive Public Health Measures2 and provides additional guidance for adapting the recommendations in a northern, remote, isolated and Indigenous3 community context.

JULY 14, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 13

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Tuesday, July 14, 2020 (covering tests completed July 5 - July 11)

JULY 8, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 12

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Tuesday, July 7, 2020 (covering tests completed June 27 - July 4)

JULY 8, 2020 - Chiefs of Ontario Health Communique: COVID-19 Weekly Update

As COVID-19 continues to evolve, Chiefs of Ontario Secretariat will be providing updates concerning technical highlights and vital priority areas.

 A list of hand hygiene and hand sanitizer resources 

JUNE 30 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 11

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Monday, June 30, 2020 (covering tests completed June 21 to June 26)

JUNE 22, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 10

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update Monday, June 22, 2020 (covering tests completed June 16 to June 20)

JUNE 24, 2020 - Ontario COVID-19 Education Update 

Communique to First Nations Leadership. Education Updates including: First Nations IT Survey by the Ministry of Education, Province Releases School Safety Plan for the 2020-2021 School Year, Post Secondary E-Learning, 2020-2021 OSAP application and Resource - Planning for a Trauma-Informed Re-Opening of Schools. 

JUNE 18, 2020 - First Nations COVID-19 testing in Ontario: Weekly Report 9

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Testing in Registered First Nations People in Ontario, Weekly Update
Wednesday, June 17, 2020 (covering tests completed June 9 to June 15)