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The vaccination rate among Indigenous Peoples in Toronto and London, Ont. is lower than that of the general population, based on .

“Indigenous people were one of the three very first priority groups for access to vaccine in Ontario, along with health-care workers and people that were living in long-term care homes, but despite that prioritization, we’re actually still seeing significant gaps,” Janet Smylie, a professor at 91�Թ�'s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a researcher scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital who was one of the study’s authors, told Global.

One of Canada's first Métis doctors, Smylie volunteered and performed at a vaccine pow wow hosted at 91�Թ�'s Varsity Stadium last summer, and participated in other vaccine-related outreach activities focused on Indigenous communities.

Jaris Swidrovich, a pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation and an assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, who was not involved in the study, told Global that a history of experimentation and experiences of racist health care contribute to Indigenous Peoples’ low vaccination rates.“There’s certainly a number of very valid reasons why Indigenous Peoples may choose to either delay or to not receive an immunization,” he said.