More than 8,000 Indigenous people in First Nations communities in Northern Ontario have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the provincial health ministry. Mistrust of the health care system persists in communities because Indigenous people have been mistreated and used as subjects in experiments by Canadian health care institutions, Richardson said. Ongoing mistreatment continues to occur in the health care system due to systemic racism, she said. "We continue to work closely with Indigenous communities and partners to support them in a culturally safe and appropriate manner." Hanna Waswa, a Band Councillor in Eabametoong, was one of the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in her community.

Source: CBC News February 20, 2021 23:37 UTC