Jan. 20, 2022
OTTAWA – The top doctor for Indigenous Services Canada says he’s cautiously optimistic the Omicron-driven wave of the pandemic may be flattening across First Nations.
Dr. Tom Wong, the department’s chief public health officer, says for this to happen nationally, communities need to maintain their health measures.
As of last week the department reported nearly 85 per cent of people 12 and older living on First Nations have received both their doses of vaccine to protect against COVID-19.
Wong says there are communities in every region with lower-than-anticipated vaccine uptake, and so far only 20 per cent of adults on reserve have been immunized with a third booster dose.