Students returning to small communities can get vaccinated before arrival

Preparing a dose of the Moderna vaccine. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Health and Social Services)

Students 18 and older that will be returning to a small community this summer can be vaccinated before they return home.

The office of the chief public health officer (OCPHO) says it will “arrange to vaccinate these students” but did not offer additional detail on how that would happen.

The students returning to small communities that wish to get vaccinated should contact CPHO@gov.nt.ca and give:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • Home community
  • Community where they will be isolating
  • Date of arrival in the NWT

“Students who do not return to the NWT for the summer are unlikely to qualify to get the COVID-19 vaccine in another province or territory where they are not a resident,” says OCPHO.

All returning students will need to submit a self-isolation plan before returning to the NWT and isolate for two weeks once they arrive. Students are eligible to stay in one of the five isolation centres in the territory with their dependents for free, if they require.

Students from Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, Inuvik and Yellowknife can isolate in their own home if it has its own entrance, kitchen and bathroom, or if all members of the household are also isolating.

Students from one of these communities are eligible to get vaccinated after their self-isolation period is done. Those in Yellowknife can book online, while those in the other communities listed must contact their local public health unit.

“The GNWT encourages all eligible NWT residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities against COVID-19. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get the disease,” reads a news release.

About the Author

Francis Tessier-Burns
Francis was a reporter with CKLB from January 2019 to March 2023. In his time with CKLB, he had the immense pleasure and honour of learning about northern Indigenous cultures.