2 new COVID-19 cases, 10 recoveries reported in Iqaluit Thursday
Nunavut’s active case count drops to 55
The Government of Nunavut reported 45 COVID-19 cases across the territory on Friday, a decrease of 10 from Thursday’s total. (Photo by Dustin Patar)
Two new cases of COVID-19 and 10 recoveries are being reported in Iqaluit on Thursday.
There are now 55 active cases of COVID-19 in the territory: 54 in Nunavut’s capital and 1 in Kinngait.
Although this represents the territory’s lowest active case count so far this month, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson, has previously cautioned Nunavummiut from reading too much into recoveries outpacing new cases.
Patterson has also said that in order for health teams to assess how the outbreak is progressing, they look at how the virus is spreading into new households.
This was also the threshold used for easing public health measures during previous outbreaks, though given Iqaluit’s current vaccination rates and the prospect of soon vaccinating teenagers, this may be different for the current outbreak.
Last week new households were becoming infected at a rate of six or seven a day. As of Wednesday, Patterson said that over the last few days that number is either one or zero.
Nunavut has reported 636 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the global pandemic more than a year ago. Four deaths have been reported in Nunavut, according to the federal government’s coronavirus website.
Across Canada, there have been 1,342,388 cases in the same time period. COVID-19 has taken 25,066 lives across the country.
What do they tell families that are isolating with suspected or confirmed cases to do to reduce spread within the family and speed recovery?
I don’t think there are any drugs recognized by officialdom as effective and appropriate for home use, correct?
I know NTI wants everyone to wash their hands and homes often, but isn’t that mostly a waste of time given what we know about how the virus spreads?
Should such families have their HVAC system on high or windows cracked open to improve circulation? Or just sit tight and pray the whole house doesn’t eventually test positive?
This is encouraging news, but please remember that there have still been over 40 cases identified within the past week. Don’t let the long weekend become a spreader, keep to within your households, wear masks, and social distance. The safer you are right now, the sooner you can get back to being Covid-free.