Healthcare services cut back to deal with COVID-19 outbreak

Health centres in the Sahtu and Dehco regions are only running emergency services for the time being, as communities in the area are grappling with the COVID-19 outbreak.

This might lead to delays for appointments and walk-in services, according to a statement from the Health and Social Services Authority.

People who need COVID-19 testing can call their local health centre to arrange for testing.

Clinics in Yellowknife will also be cutting back on services because of staff being redeployed to help manage the outbreak. The Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic and Frame Lake Community Health Centre will be moving to virtual appointments until Aug. 30.

This comes as the case count continues to increase in several communities in the territory. There are now 170 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the territory. 

Colville Lake, which only has a population of 149 people, saw its case total spike to 55.

There are also now seven cases in Délı̨nę, 10 in Norman Wells, one in Inuvik and 19 in Yellowknife.

There’s also a high-risk exposure notification in place for the Salvation Army in Yellowknife, for people who slept overnight at the shelter on any of August 15-19. Those people should self-isolate for ten days and arrange for testing.

Bailey Moreton
Bailey Moreton
Bailey is new to the north, arriving from Ottawa where he studied journalism at Carleton University. He has worked for newspapers in Halifax, Windsor, and Ottawa. He came to the north hoping to see polar bears. He will settle for a bison. If you have a tip, send it to 905 252-9781, or [email protected].

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