COVID-19 vaccination plans in Akwesasne

One community divided by two countries will proceed with a planned roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine in similar yet very different ways. In two separate interviews, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Director of Health Services Michael Cook and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict shared plans for the recently approved COVID-19 vaccines.

As the United States hit over 300,000 official deaths from the coronavirus New York State inoculated their first critical care nurse in New York on Monday. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, was one of the first health care workers in the US to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

On the same day in Canada, a personal support worker became the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As Canada inched towards 14,000 official coronavirus deaths, Anita Quidangen, became the first person in Canada to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Quidangen is a personal support worker at the Rekai Centre in Toronto.

According to Cook, it was Indian Health Services (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the White House who determined which vaccine IHS would use. IHS was given two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna. The Moderna vaccine will make its way to Akwesasne within the week.

The SRMT will oversee the vaccination process and the distribution process will follow most universally accepted distribution injections to long term care front line workers, essential workers. Cook stated Akwesasne will initially receive a limited number of doses of the vaccine before it becomes available to the general public. IHS will receive their allocation then distribute the vaccine among tribes in the U. S. according to the numbers provided by each tribe.

Cook stated, “Initial distribution is less than five percent of our population. We don’t anticipate a general mass vaccination before May 2021.”

Grand Chief Benedict said MCA is working closely with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and under their guideline on the COVID-19 vaccine. Iakhihsohtha and Tsiionkwanonshothe residents will be the first to be vaccinated. Next will be health care facility workers, the elderly, vulnerable population of Akwesasne, following MCA’s H1N1 set of already established protocols.

Much like the SRMT, Grand Chief Benedict stated, “COVID-19 are from Pfizer and later doses will be from Moderna. will be administered in Akwesasne”.

Just as it isn’t a requirement to receive a flu shot in New York State, a coronavirus vaccination will is not mandatory. However, if you chose not to receive a coronavirus vaccine and work in a health care facility, by law you are required to wear a mask while at work.

If going by the number of people who received a flu shot, Cook said only a very small number of folks chose not to get the flu shot.

Cook noted the coronavirus vaccine is not designed for children and pregnant women. Children and pregnant women were not included in the first round of vaccine trials but will be included in additional vaccine trials.

In a Facebook live event featuring Dr. David Wilson, Director National Institutes of Health (also under the Department of Health and Human Services) and Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Fauci reiterated the coronavirus vaccine is not for children and pregnant women.

Across the board, Dr. Wilson and Mr. Cook are concerned about Native Americans and our general mistrust of this and any other vaccine or immunization.

Cook stated, “Initially, a few months ago I was leery; now I’m confident at the federal level, local state and local level.”

Dr. Wilson also expressed Native American’s innate distrust of clinical trials and vaccines at the federal level. Dr. Fauci said they are working to rebuild ‘trust’ in a population where the chances are significantly greater among Native Americans to be affected by COVID-19 due to co-morbidity, diabetes, obesity, chronic lung disease, and heart disease.

Dr. Fauci said, “The coronavirus vaccine is proven safe in a scientific way. We have made extraordinary advances scientifically and we have not compromised safety’.

Grand Chief Benedict stated, “I don’t ever recall as much discussion around the H1N1 vaccination controversial or their being hype about the risks. The H1N1 rolled out relatively quickly. We are going to make sure we have the supply and the capacity to deliver for every person who wants it”.

Mr. Cook and Dr. Fauci noted it’s important to know once a person has taken the COVID-19 vaccine you may experience a normal reaction of a sore arm, soreness and being tired, especially after the second dose. Each noted a person is not being injected with a ‘live virus”, the COVDI-19 vaccine is an RNA protein and has nothing to do with a person’s DNA. Once vaccinated, your body will respond by protecting you.

Mr. Cook and Grand Chief Benedict stated the vaccine will not reach the general Akwesasne population until mid-spring, possibly summer.

Grand Chief Benedict said, “We do not want to be in a position to have to use 700 oxygen machines. We do not want to be at the point where someone has to make a difficult decision on who gets equipment to support them. We have to do our part to keep everyone safe”.

Until then and even after, we must remain diligent and wear a mask, wash our hands often, continue to practice safe distancing and avoid large crowds.