‘Vaccination blitz’ returning to Nunavik
Health board will hold vaccination clinics for everyone 5 and up in every community
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services is holding a second “vaccination blitz” in every community through the end of February. (Graphic by Viktor Forgacs Unsplash)
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services announced Thursday it is holding another “vaccination blitz,” starting Friday and continuing through the end of February.
The “blitz” is to reach every Nunavik community for two to five days, depending on the location. It is open for anyone in the region five years of age and up who is in need of a COVID-19 vaccine. Children and teenagers from five to 17 can get their first or second dose during the blitz. Adults 18 years and older can go for their first, second or booster dose.
“Vaccination is proven to help reduce viral transmission,” the board said in its Facebook announcement. “Therefore, by getting vaccinated, you can help to keep the region safe.”
Kuujjuarapik is the first stop, from Friday to Sunday. Inukjuak will be next, starting on Jan. 29.
Specific clinic locations and schedules will be shared in each community’s Facebook page a few days before program begins there, the board said.
Last month, Nunavik held its first “vaccination blitz” in the weeks leading up to Christmas. According to the health board’s immunization level by community, only 52 per cent of the region had been vaccinated with two doses as of Dec. 17.
Despite active case numbers reaching as low as nine across Nunavik in the week leading up to Christmas, all of Nunavik is back under a “red alert” lockdown.
As of Wednesday, there were 283 active COVID-19 cases reported across Nunavik, including 93 in Kuujjuaq.
COVID-19 was reported as active in every Nunavik community except Umiujaq and Akulivik.
I’m listening to CBC radio in kuujjuaq interviewing the public health doctor for Nunavik. The doctor was asked by the announcer why the VaxiCode is needed down south to purchase alcohol, but not implied in Nunavik. The doctor replied that she don’t know why it’s applied down south and not in Nunavik. That’s the public health doctor talking, and she don’t know. It was never implemented in Nunavik for one thing and it was not even tried, and the public health doctor says she don’t know. I like to know why she never implemented the law as by the Quebec government?
The SAQ and the SDQC are subsidiaries of the Gov’t of Quebec so it means they can impose these policies if they wish to, which they have. FCNQ is it’s own entity, therefor the NRBHSS cannot impose this measure, it’s either up to the local coop or the FCNQ to put in place the vaxicode for beer sales.
For Nunavik as I observed, at least in some communities, the fear of Covid has decreased significantly. It’s been always difficult to measure the fear since the beginning of the pandemic, but it’s not difficult now to see a new normal life emerging from the depths of the unknown. This new fearless way, is not without its potential to devastate and even destroy the life of many vulnerable. Those fearless troupers are not the Anti Vaxers, who all along appearing to be not courageous but mislead into believing all that pseudoscience and foolish. No, these new fearless troupers are mostly the vaccinated groups, mixed with small percentage of the unvaccinated. The guard is rapidly coming down. It’s better if this Omicron can be slowed, and allow more people to get vaccinated, plus allowing the omicron to come , but only letting it squeeze in, not flood in. If we do just that, we will by the time, it dies out enough, and we’ll have the needed immunity to be able to get life back, in the best new normalcy. We need to keep a healthy fear for awhile yet.
As we concern ourselves with vaccinations, there’s also another vaccine campaign to start in Nunavik with hepatitis A, for the current circulation of that illness. It’s contagious , and comes from contaminated food and prepared and eaten. It’s likely being contributed by the continuous selling of food on the Facebook and internet sites. Like sushi, nikkuk, Pitsik,and fast foods from people that are not hygienic. The regional board of health has the announcement on Facebook for the vaccination to be administered to 18 month olds to 9 years, and people born between 1970 and 1981. The regional board should investigate those foods being sold from anyone, no license, or qualification needed.
Human behaviour makes a big contribution to disease and the transmission of contagious virus that cause sickness in the world. Not that human behaviour is solely responsible, but significantly doing its part. We should be thankful therefore, for the brains and compassion, notwithstanding the profits, that go into improving the human condition. Vaccine for this and that and the other thing keeps the world going around. If this keeps up, we’ll be like our cars and trucks on the coldest day, in need of a boost, just one bad battery after the other in extreme temperatures, booted Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday so on and so forth, forever and ever amen. To live is to not only be vaccinated, but to be boosted.