Siksika First Nation deals with outbreak

The Siksika First Nation is investigating 300 possible cases of COVID-19.

The First Nation said in a Facebook post Friday that there are currently 22 known positive cases linked to Siksika Nation and there are 317 more people who are “under active investigation and daily follow up” by the First Nation’s health services. There were 258 such people on Thursday, a number that had quadrupled since June 27, according to a video statement posted by Siksika’s Chief Ouray Crowfoot.

“These past few days have been extremely challenging on our nation and taxing all the resources we need in our efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community,” Crowfoot said in a video statement posted to Facebook on Thursday.

There are 10 active cases in the Siksika First Nation and seven case clusters with links to the First Nation, the Facebook post Friday said.

“Each new case cluster makes it more and more challenging to contact trace and isolate individuals fast enough to contain the spread,” Crowfoot said. “The risk is high of community transmission on Siksika Nation.”

All confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases at the Siksika Nation are reflected in official provincial COVID-19 data, said Tom Mcmillan, spokesman for Alberta Health. There are 8,259 confirmed coronavirus cases in Alberta, with 572 of those cases remaining active.

The nation implemented additional health measures on Thursday, including limiting non-essential travel and meetings and limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings to 10 people or fewer who are not from the same household.

Crowfoot also said testing was currently being prioritized while the nation was short on supplies.“.”