CCBI Resources for Covid-19 – June 23, 2021

Dear Friends of CCBI,

INDIGENOUS COVID-19 ISSUES

Indigenous matters are on nearly everyone’s mind in Canada right now, and it was fitting that on Monday, June 21, frequently the longest day of the year, Canada celebrated (if that is the appropriate word at the minute) the 25th National Indigenous People’s Day. I admit that I had to be reminded about that date. It is not imprinted in my mind like, say, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29th), Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May), etc. It should be better known and from now on perhaps it will be. It’s in the shadow of Father’s Day, though, and perhaps it should have a more ‘stand-out’ date? What about the first day of June, prefiguring Canada Day on July 1? Some imagination is needed here.

Clouding the issue is a much more serious moral issue that persists. Last Friday it was reported that 138 children had been infected with COVID-19 in a First Nation area in Northern Ontario. Although Chief Leo Friday reported on Tuesday June 20 that help had been provided and quarantining was in place, the question is why this happened in the first place. The situation exploded because of social factors, specifically overcrowding. Chief Friday was reported as saying on June 11: “Some people are three families, four families in a house…I heard the other day that there’s one house with 20 people in there.” That’s a recipe for disaster in virus spreading, and so it turned out to be.

Charlie Angus, long term MP for the area, stated: “…a number of factors contributed to the spread, including overcrowding and high levels of opioid addiction.” He demands further study of the situation, including yet another factor:”…how anti-vaccination information spread through the community.” He added the scathing remark: ” The one thing that I think is really clear with the government’s response to the crisis is that they only do something when they really have to do so.” It’s clear that a patchwork, post-factum approach to a pandemic cannot work. First Nations’ Communities need more than band-aid answers but, going forward, existing social disparities need more concentrated attention from all levels of government.

GLOBAL VACCINE JUSTICE

Vatican News reports that : “A WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward told a briefing that well over half of poorer nations do not have sufficient vaccine supplies to be able to sustain their vaccination programmes right now and many of them have completely run out. The current shortages in vaccines are caused partly by manufacturing delays and also by supply disruptions from India which is the world’s largest producer of vaccines but which has itself been struggling with a major rise in Covid-19 cases. Figures show that less than two percent of all Covid vaccines distributed in the world have gone to low-income nations.” (Emphasis added)

A webinar sponsored by Canadian Jesuits International, Leave no one behind: Vaccine Equity in the Global South, featured several influential speakers, including Dr Jeffrey Sachs, a contributor to the WHO and advocate for the waiver of intellectual property rights for vaccines, to allow poorer countries to manufacture vaccines in their own countries, which would be much less expensive and faster. It was startling to hear him and speakers from Africa and India explain how there is no global plan for vaccine distribution in these countries, no overall strategy, even over a year later. There is political talk but little in the way of a plan to implement the promises of providing vaccination for all who need it. The speaker from India concluded that it will be well into 2022 before enough vaccines can be obtained to achieve anything like success in stopping virus spread. We were reminded that poverty and overcrowding are major features in India and parts of Africa and the interplay of negative health and social conditions is becoming increasingly clearer – not that that is news. Nor is it to downplay the continuing seriousness of the situation in developed countries, e.g., as noted above in some indigenous communities and in other Canadian ‘hotspots.’ Some parts of India and other countries suffer from lack of the basics needed for health and hygiene, like clean water, as in some of our indigenous communities. Even so, in Canada we are miles ahead relatively speaking, and now need to look at the global common good, in accordance with Catholic teaching.

Couldn’t we demand that the Canadian contribution to COVAX be implemented? The WHO does a good job of identifying situations, but enforcement is not within its scope. That takes governments. G7 promises need to be acted upon, and the citizenry in those countries can demand action. Hmmm – isn’t there an election pending in Canada?

The report from Vatican News alsostates: ‘Pope Francis is among those who have urged a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights for Covid vaccines to ensure universal access to vaccines. In a video message at the recent Vax Live Concert the Pope condemned what he called “the virus of individualism” that makes us “indifferent to the suffering of others.”  Viruses upon viruses, affecting body and soul…

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us!

Let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience! (Pope Francis’ intention for June)

Moira and Bambi

CBC News

Kaschechewan chief calls for assistance as COVID-19 cases spread | CBC News

Kashechewan outbreak may have peaked, Chief Friday says | CBC News

Canadian Jesuits International

Leave no one behind: Vaccine equity in the Global South – Canadian Jesuits International

Vatican News
Vatican News WHO warns poor countries do not have enough vaccine supplies – Vatican News