COVID-19 GN Update - November 25, 2020

COVID-19 GN Update - November 25, 2020

Premier’s update:

Good morning. Today, Nunavut has 11 new cases of COVID-19. There are eight additional cases in Arviat and three new cases in Whale Cove.

Nunavut now has a total of 153 active cases of COVID-19. The total number of persons followed to date is 4712. There are 813 persons currently being followed.

We’re now one week into our stricter public health measures. Sometimes it may seem like you’re not making a difference, but I can assure you that all your efforts and hard work are helping.

We need everyone to stay strong and dig deep. We’re in this for the long run and we need each and every person doing their part to fight COVID-19 in Nunavut.

To every person staying home instead of visiting; thank you. To every parent working from home and balancing remote learning with their kids; thank you. To every essential worker, showing up and providing your critical services; thank you. To every health and government worker, whether on the front lines or behind the scenes; thank you. To each and every one of you, doing your part to help your community; thank you.

I know this virus can be disheartening and draining. But we can do this. I know we can.

Stay Well. Stay Safe. Stay Home.

Chief Public Health Officer Update: 

Good morning,

Today I would like to talk a bit more about testing. Testing is not a magical solution and it is not effective by itself. Contact tracing, isolating, observing physical distancing, and following public health restrictions work together to contain and stop the spread of COVID-19.

When someone is exposed to COVID-19, the virus begins what is known as the incubation period, meaning it is growing in your body. In the first few days of this growing stage, the virus is very hard to detect. During these first days after exposure to the virus, the majority of tests will be false negatives. 

Without knowing when every individual we test was exposed to the virus, we would have to do test everyone multiple times over multiple days. Doing this, will deplete precious resources and testing material, with very little success. False negatives are one of the reasons why mass testing is not the most productive strategy in our efforts to identify and track an outbreak.

On the day after exposure to COVID, testing is almost always negative. Although test reliability improves steadily as the days pass, testing does not replace isolation. Again, we would need to know the exact timeline of exposure of the people we test, to ensure that we are testing them as of day 7 or later.

Testing is not perfect and that is why combining testing with contact tracing and isolation is the most effective way to contain an outbreak and stop transmission of the virus. 

Contact tracers are trained to be able to determine who the best candidates for testing are and when testing will be the most effective. I want to emphasize that although the term contact tracer might be new to many in the public, it isn’t a new practice in the health system. We have used contact tracing methods for decades to help respond to infections ranging from tuberculosis to sexually transmitted diseases.

Our health teams are skilled and working very hard to help break transmission of the virus.

In closing, I want to take a moment and thank all essential workers who are ensuring services in our communities continue, particularly in communities affected by COVID-19. I also want to re-assure you by saying that if you take the necessary precautions – wear a mask, observe physical distancing when possible, then you are doing what is needed to reduce the risk to yourself, your families and your communities.

Thank you.

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

COVID-19 case Statistics: Nov. 25

Testing stats to date: Nov. 25

COVID-19 case status: Nov. 25

Isolation population:

Traveller repatriation summary:

Critical Worker Requests:

As of November 24, there were 9333 requests, 4359 of which were critical worker requests.

Department of Education Services

New developments in programs/ services:

• Additional personal protective equipment (PPE) will be delivered to schools by next week to support ongoing health and safety. The delivery to Grise Fiord may be delayed due to airline logistics. This PPE includes:
  • Face shields (with instructions in all languages);
  • Disposable face masks; and
  • Gloves.

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.