COVID-19 in Indigenous communities: What you need to know – CBC
Apr 08, 2022
Beaver Lake Cree Nation nurse says cases are rising, but there’s no reliable data to track them
A nurse from Beaver Lake Cree Nation says the community is on track to soon have as many COVID-19 cases as it did at the height of the first Omicron wave — even though there isn’t a way to accurately tally positive cases now that testing protocols have changed.
“We’re right at the beginning of a huge increase. I know that,” said Danielle Bourque-Bearskin, who is the nurse manager at the Beaver Lake Health Centre.
She said the First Nation, which is 100 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, has been relying on people to use rapid tests at home, and those who test positive have the option to report to the band if they need assistance.
“The data of how many cases we have is really unreliable,” said Bourque-Bearskin, who is from the community.
She said the First Nation has been able to mitigate case counts by keeping its indoor mask policy and testing band employees every day.
