After seeing Covid-19 cases trend downward in the Beaufort Delta, Inuvik Public Health has registered 18 new positive tests for Covid-19 and there are signs of community spread in town.
An internal Jan. 18 NTHSSA email obtained by Inuvik Drum reported the jump in cases, which adds that rumours of an outbreak at the hospital are false.
”This sudden jump in positive cases is concerning and Public Health is working hard to complete contact tracing,” said the email, attributed to Arlene Jorgenson. “Following Public Health advise and isolating when required is important to keeping the spread of COVID 19 in check. The Omicron Variant is extremely transmissible so we need to remain vigilant.
“We are seeing signs of community spread in Inuvik.”
A rumour that there was a Covid-19 outbreak at the Inuvik Regional Hospital(IRH) is false, adds the email.
It notes the hospital has a dedicated infection prevention and control unit, and housekeeping staff follow strict protocols and PPE use.
“To date there has been NO outbreak at the Hospital,” wrote Jorgenson. “An outbreak occurs in a hospital or facility when transmission between two or more people occurs.
“While there have been a small number individuals who work at the hospital test positive, these positive cases are unrelated to one another and there is no indication of transmission occurring within the IRH.”
Unofficial numbers of hospital and health care treated cases obtained by the Inuvik Drum indicate there are 33 active cases in Aklavik. Zero new cases have been reported at the Fort McPherson health centre, leaving the community total at 11. Inuvik has 18 new cases, bringing the total to 30 Covid-19 cases. No cases have been reported from the health centres of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour or Ulukhaktok, and there are no active cases in Tsiigehtchic. However, an error was made in Tuktoyaktuk’s number, — there were in fact four active cases in Tuk and two more have been added today. The total of cases in the Beaufort Delta that have required medical attention is 80.
These numbers are used by government officials to keep a gauge of the rate of spread and have not been certified by the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer.
The internal numbers are based on tests completed at Inuvik Public Health and Community Health Centres. They do not include home Rapid Antigen tests — those are reported to Protect NWT and typically do not involve clinical follow-up.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola told Inuvik Drum the internally distributed daily counts are intended for government-use only and have not been validated by her staff — meaning exact numbers of cases may not match official counts 100 per cent.
“Everyday we provide regional updates, so in the Beaufort Delta you’ll know every day what the numbers are,” she said. “The regional Chief Operation Officers are communicating with governments on a regular basis to let them know what the numbers are, but these numbers need to be validated and that takes time.
“That requires validation, it requires removing duplicates, it requires a level of effort that can’t be sustained on a daily basis, because I need those staff to actually focus on outbreak response.”
The official weekly tally, which includes Covid-19 at-home tests which do not require a doctor to follow-up and good to Jan. 17, is considerably higher. The Monday community tally states there are 59 active cases in Aklavik, Nine in Fort McPherson, 25 in Inuvik and six in Tuktoyaktuk. The regional numbers, which are updated daily and are accurate to Jan. 18, list 116 cases for the Beaufort Delta, an increase of 18 from 99 the day previous.
She added when the GNWT identifies a public health risk, the location and time of exposure is published immediately.
Health Minister Julie Green said the internal numbers are provided to governments at their request and should be considered unofficial counts.
“There is no loss of service to the public in not providing the updates more often,” she said. “The important indicator for Omicron is hospitalization. I would encourage people to also focus on that metric as an indicator of what’s going on.”
Green encouraged residents to check the Public Exposure site frequently, as it is updated on a daily basis as cases arise.
Several exposure notices have been posted over the last week.
Inuvik Warming Centre has been listed as a Covid-19 exposure site. Anyone who was at the Shelter on Reliance St. from 6 p.m. to midnight on Jan. 11 to 13 should self monitor for symptoms, regardless of vaccination status.
These are in addition to Public exposure notices for Stanton’s Grocery Store in both Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik — anyone who was in the Tuktoyaktuk location on Jan. 4 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Jan. 5 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. should self monitor for symptoms. If symptoms develop, they should isolate immediately and arrange testing. All non-fully vaccinated persons should arrange testing on day four regardless of symptoms.
Anyone who was at the Aklavik location on Jan. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. should self monitor for symptoms. If symptoms develop, they should isolate immediately and arrange testing. All non-fully vaccinated persons should arrange testing on day four regardless of symptoms.
Anyone who was at the Aklavik Stanton’s on Jan. 10 to 13 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., or on Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. is asked to self-monitor for symptoms, regardless of vaccine status. If symptoms develop, they are asked to isolate immediately and seek testing. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated should get tested on the fourth day of their limited contact period whether experiencing symptoms or not.
The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer announced today it will no longer publish exposures on Air Canada and Westjet flights into Yellowknife. Anyone flying into Yellowknife will now be expected to follow the “Know what to do for 72” guidelines published on the GNWT’s website.
Inuvik will continue to be under a temporary gathering restriction until Jan. 30, while the restriction in Aklavik is set to end on Jan. 24.
An update from the OCPHO notes that numbers in Inuvik are expected to rise as the current outbreak has not yet peaked.
Non-essential travel both within and outside the NWT is not recommended at this time, employers are asked to allow staff to work from home if possible and schools are recommended to remain on remote learning.
East Three School has announced it will switch back to remote learning until at least Jan. 31.