Manage Symptoms
Most people can safely manage their symptoms with home treatment, such as drinking plenty of fluids, rest, and using a humidifier or hot shower to ease a cough or sore throat. If you have a fever, you can use non-prescription medicine like acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil) to help with some of the symptoms of COVID-19.
If your symptoms worsen, or if you do not improve after five or six days, call 811, your family doctor, a health centre, or the First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day so they can determine if you need to be assessed again.
Go to an emergency department or call 911 if you:
- find it hard to breathe
- have chest pain
- can’t drink anything
- feel very sick
- feel confused
If you are immune-compromised, speak to your health care provider.
Living with Post COVID-19/Long-COVID
Some people who have had COVID-19 experience a range of symptoms that can last months or years after the initial illness, which can then have a significant impact on quality of life and function.
Post-COVID-19 (also known as “long-COVID”) is an umbrella term for any symptoms that remain after you are initially infected with COVID-19.
- Do I have post-COVID-19? (FNHA fact sheet)
- Living with post–COVID-19 (FNHA fact sheet)
- Post COVID-19 or long COVID (BCCDC webpage)
COVID-19 Treatments in BC
People who are extremely vulnerable to severe illness might benefit from COVID-19 treatments if diagnosed early in the stages of infection. COVID-19 treatments typically need to be started within five to seven days of symptoms.
Speak to your primary care provider to determine whether you are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 infection and whether you may benefit from early treatment.
For more information, please call 1-888-268-4319 or go to www.gov.bc.ca/covidtreatments
COVID-19 Vaccine
Getting vaccinated is the best protection against COVID-19.
In clinical trials and in the administration of billions of vaccines throughout the world, evidence overwhelmingly shows that those who received COVID-19 vaccines are less likely to become seriously ill and hospitalized from the infection.
When you get vaccinated, you are protecting yourself, your loved ones and your community. You are also protecting those who are unable to get the vaccine. The more people in a community who are vaccinated, the harder it is for the virus to spread and mutate.
Reduced access to stable housing, income, clean water and health and social services place some First Nations peoples at higher risk of developing severe illness and becoming hospitalized due to COVID-19. The vaccine is one way that Indigenous and other people can protect themselves from this virus.
All people in BC age six months and older are eligible to receive a vaccine. The FNHA’s Medical Officers strongly recommend that you choose to get the vaccine for yourself and your children.
A vaccine is a product that produces immunity to a specific disease, such as COVID-19. When you have immunity to COVID-19, which is a serious and sometimes fatal disease, it means you may be exposed to it without developing severe illness.
To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 webpage where you can learn more about the types of vaccines available in BC, vaccine safety, vaccine effectiveness, and common side effects.
Vaccine Safety
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective. We know this from experience, following the administration of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Canada alone, including across all population age ranges and groups.
- COVID-19 vaccination doses in Canada (Government of Canada website)
Every possible vaccine reaction identified by primary care providers is carefully reviewed by experts, long after approval of the vaccine. Public Health officials assess the risks and benefits of a particular vaccine for the population they serve and decide whether to recommend its use.
There are two ways to get vaccinated:
- In community. Your local health centre or nurse practitioner may be able to provide vaccination on reserve.
- Provincial booking. The province offers vaccination by way of pharmacies, and this is usually the best option for people who live away from home (off-reserve).
Register for a Provincial Clinic
To get vaccinated through a provincial clinic, register online through the provincial vaccine registration webpage.
In order to register online, you must provide your first and last name, date of birth, postal code, your Personal Health Number (PHN isn’t mandatory if you don’t have one) and an email address or a phone number that can receive text messages.
After registering, confirmation via email or text should come within 15 to 30 minutes, but could take up to 24 hours.
You can also register by phone at 1-833-838-2323 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every day, with reduced hours on statutory holidays. Dial 711 if you are hearing-impaired.
Register for a vaccine in community
Talk to your local nursing station or health centre.
Vaccines and Maternal Health
The risk of getting sick with COVID-19 during pregnancy can be greater than the potential side effects of getting the vaccine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and have questions about the vaccine, please contact your health care provider, or call HealthLinkBC at 811 or the First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day at 1-855-344-3800.
For more information about COVID-19 and maternal health, including planning for your vaccine if pregnant, breastfeeding or thinking about getting pregnant, please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
Although children are less likely to get severe COVID-19 infections, they can still get sick from the virus and have long-term consequences. They may also spread the infection to others.Regardless of your child’s age, it is important to keep their routine immunizations other vaccine-preventable diseases up-to-date. A strong immune system can reduce the impact of COVID-19, and prevent illness from other communicable diseases. For more information, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Testing for COVID-19
Testing can determine if you have COVID-19. This is an important step to help reduce the spread of the virus.
There are two types of tests available: PCR tests and rapid tests.
PCR Tests
PCR tests are conducted by trained health care providers who take a nasal swab. Results are generally analyzed in a lab.
PCR tests provide more accurate results than rapid tests because they use a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify the viral genetic material of COVID-19.
Test result return times vary across BC but generally take one to three days.
Health Gateway provides secure access to your health records online. Sign up and view lab results, including COVID-19 and other records, at healthgateway.gov.bc.ca.
Rapid Tests
Rapid tests (called rapid antigen tests) also involve collecting a nasal swab.
Rapid tests can be conducted at home and provide quick results – generally within 15 minutes.
When taken while someone is at the peak of their infection, rapid antigen tests generally provide accurate results as this is when virus levels in the body are the highest. That’s why these tests are only being used in BC for individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms.
Some First Nations communities have access to another type of rapid test that provides results of similar quality to lab-based tests for people with COVID-19 symptoms. Trained health care providers administer these tests using equipment such as GeneXpert, ID NOW Analyzer and others. This equipment is different from the equipment used for the at-home rapid tests.
Testing is a priority for Indigenous people in BC with symptoms of COVID-19 and who are pregnant or may benefit from treatment. Indigenous people who are unvaccinated, aged 50+ with two or fewer doses of vaccine, or aged 70+ may benefit from COVID-19 treatment.
If you feel unsure about your symptoms:
- use the BC Self-Assessment Tool or
- contact your health care provider or community health nurse or call 8-1-1, or call the First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day program (1-855-344-3800)
If you find it hard to breathe, have chest pain, cannot drink anything, feel very sick, or feel confused, contact your health care provider right away or go to your local emergency department or call 9-1-1.
People older than 55 or who are at greater risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 should get tested by a health care practitioner if that option is available within 24 to 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. If that option is not available, use a rapid (at-home) test.
- Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Disease (BCCDC web page)
Children have similar but milder symptoms to adults.
- COVID-19 and Children (BCCDC web page)
You should continue to seek care for other medical conditions as needed, even when they are not related to COVID-19.
At-home rapid tests (often called rapid antigen tests) can be used to determine if you have COVID-19 when you have cold or flu-like symptoms.
- COVID-19 Rapid (at-Home) Tests Info for Individuals (FNHA fact sheet)
Rapid tests are done by using a swab to collect a sample from each nostril. The swab will only go a few centimeters inside your nose. It should not hurt.
Rapid tests check for protein fragments specific to the COVID-19 virus. Rapid tests are very good at detecting the COVID-19 virus when testing is done between three to five days after the start of symptoms. This is generally when virus levels in the body are at the highest.
If you test during the first three days after your symptoms appear there is an increased risk of false negatives. A false negative is a negative test result found in a person who is actually infected (positive) with COVID-19. False negatives occur when there isn’t enough virus in your body for the rapid antigen test to detect.
Rapid tests are not used for asymptomatic screening because they do not reliably detect infections in people who do not have cold or flu-like symptoms.
Remember: Seek medical care if you feel you need it, whether you test positive or negative.
The FNHA is working with provincial and community partners to distribute rapid test kits in First Nations communities. Check with your local health centre to ask about supplies.
There are now more than 1,000 community pharmacies in BC distributing the rapid antigen BTNX test kits free of charge to people aged 60 and over. If eligible, you can request a kit containing five tests once every 28 days.
The FNHA is distributing three brands of rapid COVID-19 tests initially: Lucira, BTNX and Artron. Each kit comes with written instructions. Video demos and instructions are also available from FNHA, BCCDC and the manufacturers:
- How to Use the Artron At-Home Test (video, FNHA Nursing Manager Leona Smith, Vancouver Coastal Region)
- How to Use the Artron At-Home Test (written instructions, BCCDC)
- How to Use the BTNX At-Home Test (video, FNHA Nursing Manager Leona Smith, Vancouver Coastal Region)
- How to Use the BTNX At-Home Test (written instructions, FNHA)
- How to Use the BTNX At-Home Test (video, manufacturer)
- How to Use the Lucira At-Home Test (written instructions, FNHA)
- How to Use the Lucira At-Home Test (video, manufacturer)
Regional Health Authorities and other organizations that serve First Nations people may be distributing different brands of test kits.
- Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 (BCCDC web page)
Rapid Test Results
Find out what the rapid test results mean at the BC Centre for Disease Control rapid testing page here.
Community Situation Report
The Community Situation Report (Sitrep) is published by the FNHA’s Surveillance Team as part of ongoing monitoring of COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities since the conclusion of the pandemic for the purposes of keeping communities informed. Previous sitreps, including those published during the FNHA’s pandemic response, can be found in the dropdown menu archives below.
- Community Situation Report (July 8, 2025)
2025
- Community Situation Report (July 8, 2025)
- May 5
- February 10
2024
2023
- December 19
- November 2
- October 12
- September 25
- June 27
- May 1
- April 3, 17
- March 6, 20
- February 6, 21
- January 3, 9, 16, 23
2022
- December 5, 12, 19
- November 7, 14, 21, 28
- October 3, 11, 17, 24, 31
- September 6, 12, 20, 27
- August 2, 8, 15, 22, 29
- July 4, 11, 18, 25
- June 6, 13, 20, 27
- May 2, 9, 16, 24, 30
- April 4, 11, 19, 25
- March 7, 14, 21, 28
- February 7, 14, 22, 28
- January 4, 10, 17, 24, 31
2021
- December 6, 13, 20, 30
- November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
- October 5, 12, 18, 25
- September 7, 13, 20, 27
- August 3, 9, 16, 23, 30
- July 5, 12, 19, 26
- June 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 22, 24, 28
- May 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 27, 31
- April 1, 6, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29
- March 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
- February 1, 4, 8, 11, 16, 18, 22, 25
- January 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28