REPORT SUMMARY
COVID-19 AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ ACCESS TO STBBI SERVICES: Summarizing survey, interview, and focus group findings Rates of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) are disproportionately high among Indigenous populations in Canada, largely due to colonialism and its continued impact on health and social systems. As the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for health care systems, the National Collaborating Centres for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) and Infectious Diseases (NCCID) completed two studies to investigate these challenges and how they may have affected the accessibility, availability, and delivery of STBBI services among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Canada. The first study explored First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples’ experiences with STBBIs services through
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a national survey 1. The second study provided context and voice to the survey results through interviews with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis STBBI service users and focus groups with STBBI service providers and policy- and decision-makers. The findings for each study are intended to inform future pandemic and public health emergency responses for STBBI services through a health equity lens, based on service users’ and providers’ experiences. This summary explores some of the key and common findings found across both studies. Further information about each study can be found in their full reports, available on the NCCIH and NCCID websites.
COVID-19 interrupted the accessibility, availability, and delivery of many STBBI services On average, nearly 1 in 6 of 114 survey respondents (15.5%) wanted or tried to use STBBI services but were unable to during the pandemic. Interview participants also described the challenges in accessing STBBI services due to pandemic measures. Focus groups with STBBI service providers described how nearly all STBBI clinics lost staff due to COVID-19 redeployment efforts. Some STBBI services were forced to shut down entirely.
The quantitative findings are from the Impact of COVID-19 Survey coordinated by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The Impact of COVID-19 Survey was conducted from July 2021 to January 2022 and assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery and access to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) prevention and testing services, including harm reduction services, on key populations in Canada. The opinions expressed in this summary are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.