MONTREAL -- Kahnawake's COVID-19 vaccination campaign is well underway, with just under a third of the population receiving their jabs in just two weeks.
Like other Indigenous communities across the country, Kahnawake has received the Moderna vaccine. Thus far, roughly 2,000 people have gotten their first dose as community leaders have fun a social media campaign.
“I think that's been successful by the response we got thus far,” said Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips. “We're going to keep it up until we get 80 per cent-plus of our community vaccinated.”
Phillips said the goal is to reach that number by the end of the month.
“We received all the vaccines for the first dose. As a matter of fact, just today we received an additional 3,000 doses and then, in the coming weeks, we're looking forward to getting the second shipment for the second doses.”
The communities bingo hall on Rte-138 has been turned into a vaccination clinic where up to 300 people per day can get their shot. While the first week was reserved for elders, it's now open for anyone over the age of 18.
“It's a very close-knit community, that close connection which makes us strong as a community also makes us vulnerable,” said Phillips. “At the same time, we do have unfortunately have some predispositions to various illnesses such as diabetes and various cancers, so we do have that, unfortunately.”
