146 Fort William First Nation citizens participate in drive-through COVID-19 testing event
By Rick Garrick
FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — The Fort William coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing event carried out on May 30 has not resulted in any positive cases identified as of June 3. The testing was completed by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU), in partnership with Fort William and the Superior North EMS Community Paramedicine Program, for on-reserve citizens at the Fort William First Nation Community Centre.
“The only response we would have got back was if there was a positive case and so far we haven’t heard nothing back,” says Karen Bannon, director of health and family services at Fort William, during a June 3 phone interview. “We had 146 people tested — they did do walkups through the drive-through [COVID-19 testing]. They didn’t turn anyone away that wanted to be tested. It was very positive.”
Bannon says the community will be having another COVID-19 testing event, but the date had not been decided upon as of June 3.
“I believe we are going to include the off-reserve [citizens] this time,” Bannon says. “We’re just working on the details, but it will go out in our newsletter and on our website.”
Fort William on-reserve citizens with any symptoms, even mild ones, were encouraged to get tested at the May 30 drive-through testing event. Testing was also available for people who were concerned that they had been exposed to COVID-19 and for those who are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through their employment, including essential workers, regardless of symptoms.
“Testing is an important part of the overall response to this pandemic,” says Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health at TBDHU. “This testing event will help identify individuals who may be infected with the COVID-19 virus and will provide valuable community-level surveillance to help protect the community and to better understand the spread of the virus in this area.”
Fort William Chief Peter Collins says it was “very important” to do the COVID-19 testing.
“I’m glad it’s getting done because right now (May 29), we have no cases in Fort William,” Chief Collins says. “We want to take every precaution, every step to make sure that it stays that way. Hopefully they all come back negative, but if we do have someone who tests positive then we can help and make sure that person gets through the [COVID-19 health] issues and make sure we monitor them.”
Collins says he was registered to take his COVID-19 test at 9 a.m., which was at the beginning of the 9 a.m.-4 p.m. testing event.
“We’re trying to get as many people as we can tested but we can’t make it a mandatory [test],” Collins says. “We’re promoting it for the health and well-being, not only for themselves but others around them.”
Bannon says all of the Fort William health staff were also tested.
Fort William initially restricted total access to the community due to COVID-19 by setting up a 24-hour security checkpoint on April 3, with only emergency services to be allowed through the checkpoint. Fort William businesses were also closed in early April, but they have since been reopened for business on May 4 for Fort William citizens and May 5 for the general public.