Pabineau First Nation sees big demand for booster shots at community clinic

A northern New Brunswick community is seeing strong interest from people looking to get a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine as outbreaks are occurring at seven First Nations around the province.

Pabineau First Nation, about 10 kilometres south of Bathurst, has given boosters to more than 160 people, nearly the entire population, at its community health centre and it is planning additional clinics.

Chief Terry Richardson said offering the vaccine directly in the community is important.

"To provide the service here, it gives our elders more confidence to come in. They know the people here," he said. "It's less stressful for a lot of our members who aren't able to travel, who don't have vehicles."

About 95 per cent of residents in the rural community of about 170 people are vaccinated with two doses, according to the chief.

Pabineau First Nation has also been offering vaccines to people with ties to the community, band members living off-reserve and those in the surrounding areas.

Members of a First Nation are eligible for a third dose of an mRNA vaccine in New Brunswick if six months have passed since their second dose. Booster shot clinics began rolling out in Indigenous communities in late October.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the body that provides advice to the Public Health Agency of Canada, says Indigenous adults should be prioritized because they experience an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and have limited health-care options.

Patricia Roy, a registered nurse and director of the health centre, said vaccination rates wouldn't be nearly this high without offering shots in the community.

She said the smaller facility is familiar, accessible and more comfortable for someone to go to.

"There's the cultural end of it too. We are in a setting where we have cultural amenities around the building so it's very accommodating for the First Nations community to have services in their own community," she said.

The health centre has been offering a variety of appointments based on ability to attend, working with patients to find a time that works. That approach has boosted turnout and attendance, compared to simply providing a time to arrive for the vaccine. 

Staff also follow up with community members about their appointments and to ensure they return for their second, and now third, doses of the shot.

The vaccines arrive from the K.C. Irving Centre in Bathurst and are stored in an on-site vaccine freezer at the health centre. It's cold enough to keep the vaccines for the entire day of a clinic.