Researchers study immune response, vaccine hesitancy in First Nations communities

Hamilton researchers are working with three First Nations communities to investigate vaccine hesitancy, the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine and health outcomes after vaccination within those communities.

The study, called COVID CommUNITY- First Nations, will collect, analyze, and report data relating to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and safety, as well as explore hesitancy in three First Nations communities in Canada: Six Nations of the Grand River in southwestern Ontario; Lac La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan; and Wendake in Quebec.

“Collaborating to conduct this investigation of COVID-19 immune responses and vaccine hesitancy within our territory will help establish important and crucial COVID-19 data,” says Lori Davis Hill, Director of Six Nations Health Services, in a press release. “These will in turn assist us in providing the proper support to community members and will help with the continued fight against COVID-19.”

Principal investigator Dr. Sonia Anand said the partnership is vastly important because it will help build trust in research and vaccines for First Nations Peoples who face historical, colonial and racist policies that influence their health status today in Canada.

Manon Picard, Clinical Nursing Advisor at Wendake, is hopeful the study will also help identify the reasons why First Nations Peoples are more susceptible to contracting the virus.

More than 1.8 million people in Canada have contracted COVID-19. Of those cases, 50,607 were reported on First Nations reserves.