“It’s a historic event,” says Arlene Jergensen, chief operating officer for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA)’s Beaufort-Delta region.
“And hopefully the end of [COVID], she adds.
Inuvik received 190 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Jan.7.
Residents and staff at the long-term care facility, attached to the Inuvik hospital, will now be able to receive the vaccine.
The facility currently has 25 residents.
“We’ve been [educating] residents so that they can make informed decisions about whether not they’re choosing to be immunized,” she says.
Mobilizing quickly and the logistics of transporting the vaccine have been the most difficult part, says Jergenson.
Next week, teams from the NTHSSA will administer the vaccine to residents at Charlotte Vehus Home and Billy Moore Home.
The following week, teams will be going to remote communities in the Beaufort-Delta. The smaller communities are a high priority because of their isolation and limited access to a higher level of care.
According to public notice by Jergensen, the tentative locations for the communities are as follows:
- Aklavik – Community Complex
- Sachs Harbour – Inualthuyak School
- Paulatuk – Angik School
- Fort McPherson – Chief Julius School
- Tuktoyaktuk – Kitti Hall
- Ulukhaktok – Community Hall
