A newly formed preplanning group from the Suquamish Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center gathered online this week to begin early preparations for vaccination distribution to Tribal members and staff in the coming months.

Dubbed the COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Subcommittee, the task group consists of Suquamish Tribe Acting Co-Director Jamie Gooby, EOC Manager Cherrie May, Community Health Nurse Barbara Hoffman, Tribal Attorney Melody Allen, Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center School Nurse Renee Hommel, EOC Public Information Officer Jon Anderson, and Emergency Management Consultant Eric Quitslund.

The first meeting of the planning group focused on reviewing the Tribe’s Pandemic Response Plan, getting an overview of medical countermeasures, and beginning the work of assessing vaccination priority groups.

“At this point, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms when the first vaccine will be approved, when – and in what quantities – it will be available, and how it will need to be controlled and administered,” said May. “So, this first meeting was really centered on what kind of questions we need to be asking and what potential scenarios we need to be thinking through.”

Also of paramount concern is vaccine safety.

“We will be listening to and consulting with the medical and scientific experts we know and trust,” said Gooby. “That will play a big role in which vaccine Tribal Council ultimately opts to make available and when Tribal government decides to deploy it.”

Currently, there are 11 vaccines now in the final “Phase 3” level of testing, including four underway in the United States. Phase 3 testing for each potential vaccine involves some 30,000 volunteers, who take either the candidate vaccine or a placebo, across dozens of sites around the country.

Vaccines work by training your body’s natural defenses to recognize and fight off viruses.  “If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness,” according to the World Health Organization.

New rules from the Food and Drug Administration issued on Oct. 6, suggest the earliest the first COVID-19 vaccine might be approved for emergency use is mid to late November, with large-scale availability ramping up over several months after approval.

The Suquamish Tribal Court extended its modified operations until at least May 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Court is striving to address the needs of the community, while taking every precaution to keep community members healthy and prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” reads an updated Emergency Administrative Order, signed by Chief Judge Cindy K. Smith on April 30.

As part of the order, all criminal cases and jury trials are delayed until the court resumes normal operations, tentatively slated for May 18. This date, however, may be extended depending on the status of the public health emergency.

Meanwhile, all civil and child welfare cases have been rescheduled to June 2020.

The Court continues to be available “to hear all matters of an urgent nature, including requests for all types of protection orders and emergency child welfare orders.”

Any hearings will continue to be conducted via video teleconference.

Questions should be sent to the court clerks at suquamishcourt@suquamish.nsn.us or by calling (360) 394-8697.

The full order can viewed here.

The Suquamish Tribal Court issued an Emergency Administrative Order this week that all court-ordered payment plans are now suspended through April and May.

“The Court is striving to address the needs of the community, while taking every precaution to keep community members healthy and prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” reads the order, signed by Chief Judge Cindy K. Smith on April 20. “Due to the pandemic, many people are not able to work and may be facing financial hardships.”

The order adds that those who had recently fallen behind on fishing fine payments, but were current as of March 1, will now be deemed current and will be able to obtain a sticker from the Court to show they are eligible to fish.

Those who were not current on their fishing fine payments as of March 1 are still not eligible to fish. However, Tribal members who get their payments up to date through March will be then be eligible.

The order also makes clear that the suspension of payments does not effect that total amount owed.

For more information email suquamishcourt@suquamish.nsn.us or call (360) 394-8697.

The full Emergency Order can be viewed here.