Daily Update - August 25, 2021

Case Counts as of 12:00 pm

YELLOWKNIFE August 25, 2021 – Earlier today the Office of Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) announced several new Public Health Orders, see below for more information. The OCPHO is announcing 20 new cases of COVID-19 in the NWT since August 24th. The total number of recent cases has increased to 247.  There are 244 active cases among residents in the territory, one death and two out of territory cases.

Community Breakdown

Region

Community

Total Case Count

Sahtu

Fort Good Hope

89

Colville Lake

75

Deline

9

Norman Wells

29

Beaufort Delta

Inuvik

1

Fort Smith

Fort Smith

1

Tlicho

Gameti

1

South Slave

Hay River & K'atl'odeeche First Nation

3

Yellowknife/North Slave

Yellowknife

36

Fort Providence

3

TOTAL

247

Cumulative Hospitalizations to date are 8.

Check the NWT COVID-19 Dashboard for further details about percentage of unvaccinated cases and Variant of Concern updates.

https://nwt-covid.shinyapps.io/Testing-and-Cases/?lang=1

New Public Health Exposure Locations for Aug. 25, 2021

For a full list of all CURRENT public exposure notifications: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/services/public-exposure-notifications

The beginning of community transmission is occurring in Yellowknife. Residents should consider all public spaces as an exposure site.  Limiting Indoor gatherings will reduce transmission and this is an important consideration.

Please do your part to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community:

  • Wear a mask in indoor public spaces. This is the best thing you can do to take control over your own safety and to help keep others safe.
  •  If you are an employer, revisit your exposure control plans, which are required under NWT workplace safety legislation.  Place barriers between your staff and clients, and have staff wear the appropriate PPE.
  • Physically distance and keep washing hands and surfaces.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Arrange for testing when you are sick

Public Health Orders

https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/current-public-health-orders

NWT Wide Order

A NWT wide masking order has been announced and will take effect at 8:00AM on August 26, 2021 for all indoor public spaces. 

The delta variant is spreading quickly across the NWT and is putting NWT at risk. Masking is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Hundreds of contagious droplets can be generated by just speaking to someone, but nearly all of them are blocked when wearing a mask. When masking is normalized (common practice) in communities, studies show that COVID-19 cases are significantly reduced. Masking is most important in crowded settings where physical distancing is difficult to maintain.

Norman Wells

A local containment order was announced yesterday and was issued for Norman Wells in took effect as of August 25th at 8:00AM.  This order is effective today and will remain in place for 10 days.

For additional information please review the PHO here: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/sites/covid/files/resources/2021-08-25_norman_wells_containment_order_0.pdf.

Fort Good Hope/Colville Lake

The CPHO has issued an update to the local containment order for Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake. The Public Health Order is pursuant to s.25 of the Public Health Act and mandates containment measures to be extended for 10 days to prevent further COVID-19 transmission. This updated PHO will go into effect at 11:59PM tonight.

Self-Isolation instructions for residents: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/residents-fort-good-hope-and-colville-lake-who-are-currently-those-communities

Health Service Updates

Public Notice: Providing protective 3rd dose COVID-19 vaccines to Long Term Care residents

To ensure the continued safeguarding of Long Term Care (LTC) facilities against the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the territory, the NTHSSA, at the direction of the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO), will be offering a limited roll-out of 3rd doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to all residents living in LTC facilitates. 

Link to full announcement: https://www.nthssa.ca/en/newsroom/public-notice-providing-protective-3rd-dose-covid-19-vaccines-long-term-care-residents

Current Service Level Update: https://www.nthssa.ca/en/newsroom/public-notice-service-level-updates-sahtu-dehcho-and-yellowknife-regions

Supports in community

These measures are not easy.

The GNWT is working with all communities affected to support emergency response needs in the event residents need support during this time.

Assisting northerners manage their mental health is important as we continue to respond the COVID-19 pandemic. If you wish to speak with someone the NWT Community Counselling Program provides on-the-ground access to mental health services in all of the regions. For more information or to contact the counselor in your community please visit our website: https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/nwt-community-counselling-program-ccp.

Residents who unable to access support with non-healthcare related needs throughout their self-isolation period can reach out to their community government for assistance.
Regional EMOs are working with community governments to address needs as they arise.

Attribution

All commentary is attributable to Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer for the Northwest Territories.

Relevant links

Media Contact

Dawn Ostrem

Manager, COVID Communications

COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat

Department of Health and Social Services

Government of the Northwest Territories

dawn_ostrem@gov.nt.ca