85 of the 90 identified contacts related to the cluster of five COVID-19 cases in Yellowknife have been tested.
So far the results have come back negative with some still awaiting their results. Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory’s chief public health officer said an update to the NWT’s emerging wisely plan won’t come until Yellowknife gets through a new cluster of Covid-19 cases.
“The last few days are a stark reminder that we can’t get complacent. With eight cases currently in the NWT that occurred in one week, this is a time to focus on containment,” Kandola adds.
Kandola says with a few more weeks, they can also give the rest of Canada some time to catch up and get the third wave outbreaks under more control.
She notes that community spread has not currently been identified in Yellowknife and that no outbreak has been declared.
“I want to assure the public that we are prepared for this and that our office and the Regional Health authorities are implementing processes and procedures as we should be,” she adds.
Kandola also explained that there is a difference between those that have been linked to the cluster and community spread.
“Right now we have a map. We know who is connected to whom and that matters. It means we have some control over the situation,” she adds.
Kandola says she understands that residents are concerned about allegations of individuals posing a risk to others by not following the rules and recommendations.
“While we do understand there is a public interest in the details of any potential investigations. If a high profile member of the public has made statements on his or her own accord, we will not be confirming any details,” she adds.
Officials are also awaiting to learn whether any of the cases are variants of concern.
