SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. —The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors will hold a regular meeting at 5 p.m. on Jan. 5 at the Sault Kewadin Casino. Due to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, the meetings are not open to the public.

Resolutions on the agenda are establish a budget: ACFS DTE Foundation FY2021 Budget, Demawating Development Odenaang Storage FY2021 Budget and SAMHSA Grant STOPR FY2021 Budget; Budget modifications SAMHSA Grant FY2021, MI Tribal Food Access Collaborative FY2021, ACFS Family Violence FY2021, Road to Wellness Grant FY2021, Family Spirit Grant and Third Party Revenue FY2021, Perinatal Opioid Grant FY2021 and Soo Health Center Admin Emergency; Preparedness and Third Party Revenues FY2021; Modifications to Conservation Easement and Utility Right of Way for Donated Methodist; Mission Property; and under Trust Land Status: Taylor Parcel, Phillippe Parcel, John McNaughton's Addition Parcel, W.C. Teter’s Additional Block 2 Lots 7-11 and Selwyn Parcel.

Under New Business is Technical Amendment to Resolution 2020-306, two Key Employee items and Board Concerns.

Resolutions

Sault Tribe received 975 doses of vaccine on Tuesday, Dec. 29, from Pfizer. Health Director Dr. Leo Chugunov said he had expected only 185 doses, which was the number of the initial shipment.

Chugunov said the unexpectedly large shipment left him and the Health Division staff scrambling to reschedule appointments and obtain more needles and syringes, because some shipments of the vaccine didn’t contain.

The Health Division is working on plans to distribute the vaccine according to a priority list. Health Division team members, elders and non-Health Division critical workers are at the top of the priority list.

Meanwhile, those who received a vaccine from the initial Pfizer shipment are scheduled to receive their second dose on Jan. 5. Anyone who received the vaccine from the first Moderna shipment is to receive the second dose on Jan. 19.

Tribal Health officials have posted a message on their website and plan to place ads with local radio stations and will try to reach elders by phone to arrange for vaccinations.

Posted below is a copy of the Health Division letter to elders.

Dear Sault Tribe Elders (60-plus),

Next week, the Sault Tribe Health Division in Sault Ste. Marie will be holding a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic by appointment only for Sault Tribal Elders age 60-plus. No non-Native spouses will be scheduled at this time. Please bring a tribal ID to your scheduled COVID-19 vaccination appointment. If this is your second COVID-19 vaccination, please also bring your vaccination card with you to your appointment.

Future COVID-19 vaccination appointments for Sault Tribal Elders (60-plus) are being scheduled at the rural tribal sites. Please, call the Tribal Health Center nearest to you for more information.   

Contact numbers are:

• Newberry  – (906) 293-8181
• Manistique – (906) 341-8469
• Munising – (906) 387-4721
• St. Ignace – (906) 643-8689

If you are a Sault Tribe member (60-plus) and have not already contacted the Sault Tribe Health Division regarding your COVID-19 vaccination, please call (906)-632-5200, ext. 45200, to schedule your COVID-19 vaccination appointment. We will take calls from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, 2020, and Jan. 4, 2021, to assist you with scheduling your appointment.

Vaccinations will be performed:

• Jan. 5 at Big Bear Arena in Sault Ste. Marie from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Jan. 6 at Big Bear Arena in Sault Ste. Marie from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Jan. 7 at Big Bear Arena in Sault Ste. Marie from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Chi Miigwech.

With the beginning this week of vaccinations against COVID-19, many people are eager to find out when they may be vaccinated. The answer is complicated.

Factors include age, job description, health risk factors and production capacity of the vaccine. There is no precise timetable available.

The first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine for the Sault Tribe arrived Tuesday evening, Dec. 15, and consisted of 37 vials with a total of 185 doses. Because some of the vials had extra vaccine, there were extra doses.

As of Friday, Dec. 18, all of the initial doses have been used. The highest-priority tribal members were Health Division employees, but not all of the roughly 300 employees had requested a vaccination (No one is required to receive a vaccination).

Because of that, and because some vials had extra doses, 43 tribal elders were able to receive the first dose of the two-dose vaccine.

Dr. Leo Chugunov, the tribal health director, created a priority list to state when tribal members may receive the vaccine. Below is the order, with a brief explanation:

1.
A. Health Division personnel.
B. Critical personnel of the Sault Tribe (non-Health Division). Critical workers are those who must be present at the workplace regardless of danger. That includes police officers and other emergency employees.
C. Sault Tribe elders.

2.
A. Adults at high risk for development of severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying medical conditions, and adults experiencing homelessness.
B. Essential workers with direct interaction with the public or in high-density workplaces.

3. Essential workers without direct interaction with the public. This includes team members who are considered essential but are able to work from home.

4. Adults without high-risk conditions.

Depending on production and other factors, Sault Tribe members who aren’t considered critical or essential workers, who don’t have underlying medical conditions, and who are not tribal elders might have to wait weeks or even months to receive the vaccine.

Sault Tribe Health Director Dr. Leo Chugunov provided the following information about the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19, based on information received on Dec. 17:

1. The vaccine was not tested on children, pregnant women or patients who are immunocompromised.

2. It is a two-dose vaccine, to be administered 28 days apart, one week longer than the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. There is a grace period: The second dose could be given between day 25 and day 33. Most side effects appear after the second dose. They include: Injection site pain (91.6%), fatigue, (68.5%), headache (63%), muscle pain (59.6%), joint pain (44.8%), and chills (43.4%).

3. The Sault Tribe may expect, at least, 100 doses (10 vials with 10 doses in each) in the first shipment.

4. It will be shipped frozen. It could be stored:
A. Frozen for 6 months.
B. Refrigerated for 30 days.
C. At room temperature for 12 hours.

5. No dilution is necessary; unlike the Pfizer vaccine, it comes ready to be administered.

6. Native Americans represented .5% of all participants in the Phase 3 study.

7. If given emergency use authorization, it could be expected to arrive to Bemidji, Minn., on Dec. 21 or 22. The Sault Tribe may receive it as early as Dec. 22 or 23.

Below are the remaining 2020 Christmas events. The list will be updated as more events are received.

DeTour Children’s Christmas drive-thru Dec. 19
Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Children’s Christmas drive-thru in DeTour, Dec. 19, DeTour Township Hall parking lot, 3-5 p.m. Sponsored by Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of Directors, Kewadin Casino and Youth Education and Activities Program. For More information contact the YEA office at 906‑484‑2298 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Due to Covid-19 all activities are subject to change.

Unit IV Christmas party changes
According to Unit IV Representative Darcy Morrow, due to COVID, Unit IV will not be holding their annual children's Christmas parties. Santa will be mailing each registered child in Unit IV a present, look for it early next week.