COVID-19 identified in Pond Inlet
News Release
COVID-19 identified in Pond Inlet
Iqaluit, Nunavut (December 31, 2021) – Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO), is announcing 40 new cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut, with a newly identified case in Pond Inlet. Currently there are 127 confirmed cases of the virus in Nunavut - 23 in Arviat, one in Baker Lake, nine in Igloolik, 39 in Iqaluit, 14 in Pangnirtung, two in Qikiqtarjuaq, 30 in Rankin Inlet and nine in Sanirajak. Cases in Pond Inlet and Cambridge Bay are pending confirmatory testing.
“The need to immediately respond to the arrival of COVID-19 in a new community means we must announce presumptive positive results in communities before we have confirmatory results,” said Dr. Patterson “We’re doing this to be proactive in our response to possible introductions of COVID-19 and to ensure we are able to track, trace and isolate the virus quickly. As a result, Nunavut’s case counts may look slightly different for a few days, as we will formally post only confirmed case numbers moving forward."
Strict territory-wide public health measures are in place until at least January 17, and travel restrictions are in place for Arviat, Igloolik, Iqaluit, Pangnirtung, Rankin Inlet and Sanirajak. Travel to and from those communities is restricted to essential purposes only, as well as residents returning to their home community or travelling to Southern Canada. Non-essential travel, especially between communities in Nunavut, remains highly discouraged.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Dr. Patterson will hold a live update at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, January 6 about the Government of Nunavut’s on-going response to COVID-19. Tune in on the Legislative Assembly TV channel at http://video.isilive/nunavut/ or on radio in Iqaluit at 92.5FM.
Anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms – runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever or difficulty breathing – should call the COVID hotline at 1-888-975-8601 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT or notify their community health centre right away by telephone. There are longer wait times to get through to the hotline, so please remain patient. Please do not go to the health centre in person.
COVID-19 vaccines are available to all Nunavummiut aged 5 and older. Boosters are available for anyone 18 years and older 4.5 months after their second dose. For those 12 to 17 years old, the booster is available six months after their second dose. Contact your health centre to make an appointment. For all the latest information and guidelines on COVID-19 in Nunavut, go to: https://www.gov.nu.ca/.
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Media Contact:
Chris Puglia
A/Manager of Communications
Department of Health
867-975-5949
@email