Cases in First Nations on reserve

On First Nations reserves, as of April 29 Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is aware of:

• the following cumulative numbers
  • 104,878 confirmed positive COVID-19
  • 3,280 hospitalizations
  • 102,301 recovered cases
  • 711 deaths
• the current active number of cases: 1,866

Cases by region

Case numbers by region:

• British Columbia: 8,680
• Alberta: 20,029
• Saskatchewan: 16,156
• Manitoba: 24,664
• Ontario: 18,274
• Quebec: 12,759
• Atlantic: 4,316

Weekly comparative data on the number of active cases

For the week of April 21 to April 27, 2022, average daily reported active case counts decreased by 26.1% compared to the daily average the week before.

This compares to a:

• 7% decrease in average daily reported active case counts reported the week of April 14 to 20, 2022, compared to the week prior
• 1.6% increase in average daily reported active case counts reported the week of April 7 to 13, 2022, compared to the week prior

Number of cases by variants

Since the beginning of the pandemic, ISC is aware of 32,450 COVID-19 confirmed cases due to variants of concern in First Nations communities, with the following breakdown by type:

• 3,148 alpha
• 16 beta
• 165 gamma
• 8,336 delta
• 2,400 indeterminate with variant of concern traits
• 18,385 omicron

11,981 omicron cases are in First Nations communities in Eastern Canada and 6,404 cases are in First Nations communities in Western Canada. Omicron has been detected in a total of 134 First Nations communities.

For breakdowns for general population in Canada consult Variants of concern.

Provincial chief public health officers work with ISC’s regional medical officers and nurses to provide medical support as needed when a positive case is reported.

Comparison of the number of cases in Indigenous communities with the general population

As of April 4, 2022:

• the rate of reported active cases of COVID-19 in First Nations people living on-reserve was going down since mid-January 2021 and reached its lowest point during the first week of August at 84.2 cases per 100,000
• with the arrival of omicron variant, the rate had increased to its highest level at 1,596.7 per 100,000 during the second week of January 2022. Since then, the rate of reported active cases has gone down, plateauded and has started to increase again and is currently 572.8 per 100,000 or 1.3 times the respective rate in the general Canadian population
• the COVID-19 case fatality rate among First Nations people living on a reserve is 66% of the case fatality rate in the general Canadian population
• 96% of First Nations people living on a reserve who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered

Related links

For more details on case numbers in First Nations communities, visit:

• Epidemiological summary of COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities

For the total number of confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 across Canada, visit:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Current situation