Operation Remote Immunity: Providing Vaccines in Remote Indigenous Communities

Achieving a high vaccination rate in remote Indigenous communities is essential to prevent outbreaks and reduce health inequalities. However, challenges exist for both vaccine provision and uptake. As part of the COVID-19 response in remote Northern Ontario communities, Operation Remote Immunity (ORI) launched in February of 2021 to administer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to fly-in communities in northern Ontario. The initiative operated under the leadership of Indigenous-led organizations, with support from Public Health Units and Ornge, an Ontario-based nonprofit that provides air-ambulance and medical transport services to fly-in communities. As of June 2021, ORI had delivered 25,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 31 remote First Nations communities. This report examines the program’s successful logistic execution, the evolution of ORI over three phases, the role of Indigenous leadership, the operationalization of a community-based approach, and trust building with Indigenous communities.