A First Nation elder in Alert Bay is now among the 100 people who have died after contracting COVID-19.
Her death was reported on Saturday by Dr. Bonnie Henry during her daily briefing, and without identifying the individual, she stated that this elder was the first person from a remote Indigenous community to succumb to the virus.
“Our elders, particularly in our First Nations communities are culture and history keepers. When they become ill and when they die, we all lose,” said Dr. Henry, her voice breaking with emotion.
“My thoughts are with her family and her entire community as I recognize the tragic impact this has on all of them.”
See also: Village of Alert Bay declares state of emergency, imposes curfew due to COVID-19 outbreak
In a Facebook video shared on Friday, Dr. Dan Cutfeet with the ‘Namgis Health Centre confirmed that the woman was a member of the ‘Namgis First Nation community in Alert Bay — a remote village on an island located northeast of Vancouver Island.
“We lost a community member today,” he said. “We’re thinking of family. We’re thinking of friends in this time. We’re praying for you.”
The Village of Alert Bay is the known location of a COVID-19 outbreak after its mayor, Dennis Buchanan, tested positive for the virus earlier this month.
On April 19th, the community declared a local state of emergency, with permission from Minister Farnworth, and instated a curfew of 9:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.
This state of emergency was due to last until April 24th, but the Village has received approval from the province to extend it as the pandemic cluster outbreak continues to pose a risk to the small community and its health care capabilities.
See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 3,029,746.
Over 209,200 people have died from the illness and 900,334 have made a full recovery.
