Alert Bay Mayor Dennis Buchanan struggles to talk about the first COVID-19 death on Cormorant Island under his watch, and a local state of emergency.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough,鈥� says Buchanan, 72, stopping to compose himself. 鈥淭his whole thing has an emotional impact on everybody.鈥�
About three or four residents with COVID-19 have been transported off the island to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, he said.
The death of a woman from Alert Bay was confirmed Friday by 鈥楴amgis First Nation elected Chief Don Svanvik and Buchanan. The woman had been transferred to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where she died.
On Saturday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry acknowledged the 鈥渇irst death in one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 First Nations communities,鈥� calling it 鈥渁 tragedy for all of us.鈥�
鈥淥ur elders, particularly in our First Nations communities, are culture and history keepers,鈥� said Henry. 鈥淲hen they become ill and when they die, we all lose.
鈥淢y thoughts are with her family and her entire community, as I recognize the tragic impact this has on all of them. It鈥檚 particularly a challenging time to not be able to come together physically in the normal way that we would to respect the customs that we have in communities at this time.鈥�
The Village of Alert Bay 鈥� on Cormorant Island, a 40-minute ferry ride from Port McNeill 鈥� has a population of about 500 people. Cormorant Island鈥檚 population is about 1,500.
Any death is felt island-wide because of the size of the community, said Buchanan. 鈥淭he loss of an individual affects the whole island.鈥�
The town was thrown into action after Buchanan, who has lived on Cormorant Island since 1970 and is in his first term as mayor, contracted the virus despite never having left the island and taking what he thought were all the necessary precautions.
It was a wake-up call, said Buchanan, saying initially 鈥渆verybody was sort of lackadaisical鈥� about it. 鈥淥n a remote island, I think most people thought it鈥檚 not going to get here.鈥�
When Buchanan was tested, he had already been through the worst of what his doctor called a mild case. He was offered a bed in Nanaimo鈥檚 hospital, but at the time, he was not having trouble breathing.
鈥淚 was sleeping anywhere from 18 to 20 hours a day,鈥� said Buchanan. 鈥淚t knocks you down for sure. If that was a mild case I would certainly not want a heavier one.鈥�
At first, doctors thought he had pneumonia, he said. 鈥淲hen the test came back positive for COVID-19, it was scary. It was upsetting to my children and my wife and myself, because you hear of people passing from COVID-19.鈥�
On April 18, the Village of Alert Bay, in co-operation with the 鈥楴amgis First Nation and the Whe-La-La-U Area Council within the Emergency Operations Centre, declared a local state of emergency to address a cluster of cases on Cormorant Island.
Island Health, working with community leaders from Alert Bay and the 鈥楴amgis First Nation, local health-care providers and the First Nations Health Authority, is testing anyone with COVID-19 symptoms.
Last week, Island Health deployed additional staff to expand testing capacity to seven days a week, providing an additional physician to serve Cormorant Island. Anyone requiring hospitalization related to COVID-19 symptoms will be transferred off the island.
鈥淚f someone is tested positive for COVID-19 and there鈥檚 any doubt whatsoever about the possibility of them getting worse, they are being shipped out right away,鈥� said Buchanan. 鈥淯nfortunately, of course, if people have underlying health conditions, it puts a whole other level to the seriousness of the situation.
鈥淲e have limited resources here, so having access to better critical care is important.鈥�
Buchanan said the village, with the 鈥楴amgis First Nation, has rented rooms at hotels on Cormorant Island for those who, because of their living arrangements or other extenuating circumstances, can鈥檛 self-isolate.
Dr. Dan Cutfeet of the 鈥楴amgis Health Centre urged 鈥渁nyone and everyone鈥� with symptoms ranging from cough or fever to respiratory or stomach problems to get tested. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no shame in this,鈥� said Cutfeet. 鈥淭his is a virus anyone can catch if exposed.鈥�
The number of people infected on the island as part of the outbreak has not been revealed publicly for privacy reasons, said Buchanan.
Beyond the provincial state of emergency in place since March 18, the local state of emergency allowed officials on Cormorant Island to impose a nightly curfew and restrict passage on sa国际传媒 Ferries to essential travellers.
The local state of emergency can be lifted through the province, or when the number of new cases drops off, said Buchanan.
All decisions are being made collaboratively by local governments, First Nations, Emergency Management sa国际传媒 and Island Health, he said.
Buchanan offered kudos to front-line health workers, and said many more organizations have been needed to carry out the emergency measures. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had to make some tough decisions,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e all in agreement to the decisions being made.鈥�
The biggest challenge has been to convince people to stay at home and limit social contact, he said.
鈥淲e can get over this. We can beat it. But聽it takes a combined effort by everybody.鈥�
