COVID-19 GN Update - March 19, 2021

COVID-19 GN Update - March 19, 2021

Premier’s update:

Good morning. For the fifth day in a row, there are no new cases of COVID-19. There are still two active cases of the virus in Arviat.

To date, Nunavut has administered almost 18,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. 11,584 Nunavummiut have received the first dose, and 6413 Nunavummiut are now fully vaccinated against the virus.

I’m once again asking that if you haven’t made an appointment to get your vaccine, please do so! I got my second shot a few weeks ago and I feel great and thankful.

Headed into the weekend, I want to say thank you to all Arviarmiut who’ve had to sacrifice so much and be strong for so long. I know it hasn’t been easy.

Arviat got to zero cases before, and you can do it again! Keep up all the hard work and follow the public health measures. Stay healthy and stay well.

Chief Public Health Officer Update:

Good morning,

Last week was the official one-year mark since Nunavut and the world began dealing with this pandemic. In that time, a lot has happened and I want to mention a few highlights.

Through effective public health measures, including isolation out of territory, we were able to delay the entry of COVID-19 into the territory. Those first eight months, were invaluable to our planning efforts, which paid off in several areas including:

• Fast and efficient contact tracing and virus containment.
• Improved testing capacity and speed.
• Efficient rapid response and outbreak management.
• A vaccine campaign that by April will have given 75% per cent of Nunavummiut who are 18 and older, an opportunity to receive their shot.

We all knew that preventing COVID-19 from ever entering the territory was not possible but limiting the number of communities that have had to deal with cases is a success.

As of this week, Nunavut received its latest shipment of vaccine allocation in phase one of the federal government’s roll out plan. Since December, 37,5000 doses of the vaccine, enough for 75% of the population have been delivered. As of this morning, 1,1584 Nunavummiut have received their first dose of the vaccine.

I must commend the hard work our teams have done rolling the vaccine out across the territory. By April, every community will have had at least their first dose clinics. For those communities that have completed their second dose clinics, there will be an ongoing opportunity for everyone to get vaccinated. Simply call the health centre.

Those who want the vaccine after the mass vaccine clinics are done will be put on a waitlist and called for an appointment. Due to the vaccine being packaged in 10-dose vials that are only good for 6 hours once punctured, appointments will be scheduled for 10 people at a time to avoid waste. Considering there is a global shortage of the vaccine, we have ethical responsibilities to ensure Nunavummiut are vaccinated as quickly as possible while minimising how much vaccine is wasted.

With the vaccine rollout well underway, many have inquired about what the effect will be on public health measures and when we can begin to see restrictions eased.

The vaccine is very effective and reduces the risk of severe infection and complications from COVID-19. Once all adults in Nunavut have had the opportunity to receive the vaccination, we can once again assess the risk. As in the past, the easing of restrictions will be done gradually to ensure it does not cause a significant risk to health.

Choosing to get the vaccine means that individually, and in time, collectively, we will no longer live with the fear, the harms and restrictions brought by the COVID-19 virus.

As part of the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) effort to protect Nunavummiut against the risk of COVID-19, GN Departments are implementing the following:

Department of Health Services

For all the latest information and resources about COVID-19 in Nunavut, go to: https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

For the latest information on current public health restrictions, go to: https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/nunavuts-path

For the latest information on vaccine clinics in Nunavut, go to:https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/covid-19-vaccination

COVID-19 case status: March 19

*Confirmed cases include those meeting the national case definitions. Persons followed includes individuals with specific symptoms and exposures as well as others who are self-monitoring or self-isolated. Not all of these individuals have symptoms or require testing.

*There may be a delay reporting attribution and statistics from cases acquired in Southern Canada. 12 cases that were detected out of territory have been attributed to Nunavut. This includes 3 deaths. Not all NU residents with COVID-19 detected out of territory will be attributed to Nunavut.

COVID-19 vaccination status: March 19

*Total vaccine administered is updated as regularly as possible, but might be lower than actual count.

COVID-19 community case statistics: March 19

*Cases acquired out of territory are not reflected in the community case breakdown.

Testing stats to date per community: Jan. 25

Isolation population: 

Traveller repatriation summary:

Critical Worker Requests:

As of March 18 there were 13636 requests, 6735 of which were critical worker requests.

*Latest data is unavailable.

Department of Education Services

K-12 Schools

As of Monday, March 15, all Arviat Schools have implemented their Stage 3 action plan. All other Nunavut schools are at Stage 1.

Updates on community stages can be found on the Department of Education website: https://gov.nu.ca/education/information/2020-21-opening-plan-nunavut-sc….

Nunavummiut’s health is our shared responsibility! Remember: wash your hands and surfaces, practice social distancing, listen to the advice of health officials, and stay home if you’re sick.