February 9, 2022

Update: Province of Alberta phasing out COVID-19 public health protocols. Siksika Health Services to continue some protocols at this time.

Siksika Health Services and Siksika Nation continue to take strong proactive measures in response to COVID-19, considering Siksika’s specific context, in the interest of protecting our Nation members.

Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to-date, the province of Alberta has continually evolved its public health protocols and restrictions. On February 8, 2022, The Province of Alberta announced a three-step plan for removing COVID-19 restrictions:

  • Stage 1 – will come into effect on February 9th
  • Stage 2 – will come into effect March 1st, provided that the hospitalization and ICU admissions continue to decline
  • Stage 3 – effective date to be determined

Siksika Health and Siksika Nation leadership have reviewed Alberta’s updated protocols and will move forward with the measures outlined in the table below at this time, based on Siksika Nation’s specific local context, which includes the following considerations:

  • Balance of social and mental health impacts that the community is experiencing against the risks from COVID-19 itself.
  • Risk of contracting COVID-19 on Siksika Nation – at this time, the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains extremely high on Siksika Nation. Thankfully, due to Siksika’s high vaccination rates and a decrease in severity of the Omicron variant, the risk of severe illness is decreased.
    • It is recommended that individuals with immunocompromised health conditions, infants under the age of 2, and the elderly continue to avoid gatherings and other high-risk exposures at this time, as the risk of severe illness for these individuals is greater than the general population.
  • Siksika’s COVID-19 vaccine uptake – this will impact community spread of the virus. As people receive the vaccine, our collective immunity will increase.
  • COVID-19 cases across Alberta – as COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates surge across Alberta, it is important for Siksika Nation to seriously consider our surrounding context as we are impacted by interactions with community from surrounding areas.
  • Protection of Siksika’s healthcare system – protective measures support the health of not only individuals, families, and communities, but also our healthcare systems as these do not have infinite capacity.

*Siksika Nation’s revised protocols may be updated at a later date, pending review by Siksika Health Services’ public health team

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic response, Siksika Nation has continuously provided higher level of service, and maintained more stringent protocols than Alberta because we have a higher risk of severe consequences in Siksika due to living circumstances, overcrowding, and the high prevalence of chronic conditions.

For more information about the changes to Alberta’s public health measures please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-public-health-actions

For more information about Siksika Nation’s current public health measures please visit: https://siksikahealth.com/covid/current-situation-in-siksika/