Booster Shots In Kahnawake

A third dose of the Covid-19 vaccines are now being given across First Nations communities, with  booster shots having already begun here in Kahnawake with the territory for the past few weeks. Lisa Westaway is the Executive Director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center:

“We’ve started booster shots for people who are immunocompromised or with certain diagnosis who are more vulnerable, more at risk for developing complications from Covid-19. It’s been a few weeks now, we’ve done over 30 people, over 30 community members have had booster shots and we’re also in the process of planning for booster shots all of our residents both at Turtle bay Elders Lodge and the KMHC In-Patient. Our staff are in the process of getting consent either from the residents themselves or their family members and those vaccines will be given, those booster shots will be given at the same time as the flu vaccines.”

This as third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being expanded to include First Nations people living on territory in Manitoba. The third dose should be given at least six months after the second shot.  The province first offered a third dose to those who are immuno-compromised back in mid-September. The proportion of breakthrough cases amongst First Nations people has been increasing since August and approximately two-thirds of those cases are in people residing on territory. However, it is not clear how much of that is due to waning immunity, as the majority of people received their second doses in May.