The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been vaccinating teachers along with the rest of the population, 18 plus, since March. There have been three trips in to Tuktoyaktuk to provide vaccinations. If there are people who still require vaccinations, they should call the health centre and make that need known so that another trip into Tuk can be planned. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are -- people are calling to get vaccinated. The reason why the holdup is you need ten people to go through one of the vials of the vaccine. And I think people are starting to get really frustrated. I had to go to Inuvik for my second shot because I need to get that done. So we need another go-around in Tuk or in my other communities as well for the teachers, just to make sure that they're vaccinated prior to them leaving for the summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a limiting factor, until yesterday, was that there was no nonessential travel in and out of Yellowknife. And communities made it very clear to us that they did not want to see people from Yellowknife in their communities. That, fortunately, is now over. So we are in a position where we can go back to Tuktoyaktuk and the smaller communities.

One of the reasons that the department wanted to acquire the Pfizer vaccine is because there are six doses in a vial rather than ten. So that means there needs to be fewer people on the waiting list in order to make wastage a very small consideration in making a trip like this. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, we want Moderna, not Pfizer. You know, we're worried about what's been happening with the blood clotting with that. I'm not a professional, I just hear people's concerns about it. So I really would like to make sure that our Minister is telling the Beaufort Delta health committee to get people in to get the final shots for the professional and then for my -- the constituents that never took it, because a lot of them were pretty, not -- like, more concerned about seeing what's happening before they get -- everybody else gets their needles. So now that everybody else is doing good so now they want to get their needle. So we need it done as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware of the same kind of adverse effects with the Pfizer vaccine as there have been with the AstraZeneca vaccine. They are different kinds of vaccines. And I don't know a lot about how they're different. I just can tell you that they are apples and oranges in terms of vaccines.

But what I can say is that we are very interested in going back to communities and providing more vaccinations. Just as the Member said, this is what we hoped, that people would see that those who got vaccinated did great, they have a lot more freedom, they can isolate for less time and so on. And so I encourage him to encourage his constituents to get vaccinated as soon as the schedule has the Tuk and Nunakput communities on it. And I'll make sure to send him a notice when that schedule is developed. Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really want to urge my constituents in Nunakput to go and get vaccinated when it's provided by the health authorities in the communities and just to make sure that, you know, get it done, and it's going to shorten up your medical travel; it's going to shorten up your time for isolation, and keeps everybody safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. I take it as a comment, unless the Minister would like to respond. Thank you. Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. In the future, we'll have to keep our preamble and answers to the point just to give other Members a chance to ask questions. Thank you. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to Commissioner's Address. Petitions. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism, and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Rolling action! The Next 5 Years: Northwest Territories Film & Media Sector Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2026. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Education, Culture, and Employment.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 544-19(2) Mental Health During the Pandemic, and Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 696-19(2) Illicit Drug Trade. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Thebacha.