The Nunatsiavut Department of Health and Social Development is in the process of implementing a plan that would see all eligible residents in each of the five Labrador Inuit communities receive the COVID 19 (Moderna) vaccine starting the week of January 11.
The first shipment of the vaccine is expected to arrive in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the coming days. As it needs to remain frozen, the vaccine will have to be shipped to each of the five Inuit communities using specialized containers called Credo Cubes. Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health Authority is currently awaiting arrival of these containers.
DHSD is responsible for delivering public health services, including administering the vaccine, to all residents in Nunatsiavut. The vaccine will not be made available to individuals under the age of 18, or to those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have allergies.
While it is not mandatory to receive the vaccine, the Nunatsiavut Government is strongly urging all eligible residents of the five Labrador Inuit communities to do so when it becomes available.
“We continue to work with all relevant authorities to ensure we are able to deliver the vaccine as quickly as possible in a safe and efficient manner,” says Nunatsiavut’s Health and Social Development Minister Gerald Asivak. “Although there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel, we still have a way to go before the threat of COVID-19 passes. Even if you get the vaccine, you should continue to follow all public health protocols, including practicing good hand hygiene, wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing of at least two metres from those outside your immediate households.”
The vaccines will be administered in one community at a time. Further updates will be provided as they become available.
