COVID-19 confirmed in nearly half of Nunavut communities

Territory reports 207 active cases in 12 communities; Kinngait the latest added to the list

Kinngait became Nunavut’s twelfth community where at least one COVID-19 case has been confirmed. On Monday, the Government of Nunavut reported there 207 cases across the territory, up 11 from the day before. (Photo by David Venn)

By Nunatsiaq News

There are active COVID-19 cases in nearly half of Nunavut’s 25 communities, according to a tweet posted by Premier P.J. Akeeagok on Monday morning.

The Government of Nunavut reported 207 active cases on Monday, an increase of 11 over Sunday’s count. A single case in Kinngait that was reported on Sunday brought to 12 the number of communities where the disease has been confirmed or is suspected.

It confirmed a case in Cambridge Bay, where COVID-19 was suspected to have arrived but had not been confirmed. Last week, the GN began reporting communities where presumptive positive cases were being detected, but its official case count only included cases that had been confirmed by testing.

On Saturday — New Year’s Day — chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson said in a news release Nunavummiut should brace for surges in the number of cases and infections in every community in the territory.

As of Monday, this is the territory’s case count, according to Akeeagok’s tweet.

  • Arviat — 48
  • Baker Lake — 1
  • Cambridge Bay — 1
  • Chesterfield Inlet —2
  • Igloolik — 16
  • Iqaluit — 56
  • Kinngait — 1
  • Pangnirtung — 20
  • Pond Inlet — 1
  • Qikiqtarjuaq —3
  • Rankin Inlet — 44
  • Sanirajak — 14

 

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(34) Comments:

  1. Posted by Northern Inuit on

    So when will Cambridge Bay receive rapid testing capability?

    Our esteemed Mayor was vague in discussing the presumptive cases and not clear enough for those not savvy in technical terminology . This could have resulted in people again thinking they were not positive cases and going back to letting their guard down .

    I dread the coming weeks with people returning from Edmonton and beyond

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    • Posted by Z on

      You make it sound like the people of CB aren’t smart enough to understand presumptive….I’m sure you’re still shook and just taking out your frustrations, quit it with the bashing already…CB folks know whats up, they aren’t out spreading the virus.

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      • Posted by Northern Inuit on

        There are a lot of people who have studied this virus, variants and other issues going on with the virus and ways to protect ourselves and our family.

        And there are ones who have not taken the time and as soon as the last positive case was a false positive went back to pre pandemic and went about their day like thing was going on in the world. People going to the stores with no masks, hugging happy new year, lamenting the pause in life with no games or celebrations for the holidays. very frightening.

        even worse are the people who choose to ignore everything, go out and drink and party with friends, smoke weed and share joints and cigarettes and the card games can still be found to this day.

        1 case is ballooning quite rapidly and this is going to get rough.

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  2. Posted by Hello? on

    So, is community transmission happening in any of these communities? Does anyone ask these kinds of questions anymore?

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    • Posted by Oscare on

      Everyone in Nunavut must assume community spread which is happening right now, why do u think it is spreading so fast? People have to get vaccinated, stay home and make sure no on visits

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      • Posted by Zoom out a little on

        It might seem obvious, Oscare… but the larger point is we shouldn’t need to assume things to fill in the information gaps created by poor communication.

        We have had enough problems with misinformation and distorted information throughout the pandemic that we should be able to see the value of clear communication by now. Would you agree?

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  3. Posted by Umingmak on

    All this talk about how Nunavut is so “overwhelmed” by COVID, yet Akeeagok and Patterson still refuse to publish important statistics like hospitalizations, ICUs, and how many of the cases are actually symptomatic at all.

    Case counts are purely intended to drive fear. They’re an entirely irrelevant statistic for a virus with a 0.47% mortality rate in the past 6 months (1.34% since the first case in 2020, 0.13% over the past month) which causes the vast majority of people little to no symptoms at all.

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    • Posted by You’re not wrong on

      You hit the nail on the head. Case count was useful pre-vaccine.

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    • Posted by The Old Trapper on

      Hopefully you are not one of those people who needs an ICU bed when they are all occupied by people with Covid-19. Here’s a hint, try not to have a heart attack.
      .
      You may have not heard but many provinces are cancelling elective surgery as there is not enough medical staff to go around.
      .
      Need a hip replaced that you have waited on for a year and a half, and your are in constant pain? – well just continue to wait because your surgery just got postponed.
      .
      Need a pre-cancerous tumor removed, sorry surgery been cancelled, no ICU beds in case you code. Hopefully it doesn’t become cancerous until things get back to normal, later this year, maybe.
      .
      It’s no longer just about Covid-19, it’s about maintaining the integrity of our health system, and even our supply chain. It is up to everyone to take this very seriously.
      .
      And what if it makes your wife or child sick, or they end up as one of the 0.13%. Well?
      .
      Would you say, well that’s the odds. Too bad. Nothing anyone could do. We tried nothing, and we’re all out of ideas?

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      • Posted by MARS on

        The flu can hospitalize people also, among a million other things.

        You may have also heard that some provinces are mandating medical staff to return to work even while covid-positive. That tells you something, does it not?

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      • Posted by Umingmak on

        The seasonal flu has a mortality rate of 0.1 – 0.15% annually. Do you want to see lockdowns and trillions of dollars spent on flu response every year for the rest of eternity? There comes a point where we need to learn to live with this. We’re acting like it’s still March to April of 2020, when mortality rates were 6-7% (nearly exclusively in long term care homes), but it’s January 2022, and the mortality rate is 0.13%.

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        • Posted by The Old Trapper on

          We have an influenza vaccine, true it’s only partially effective but it may be administered to children as young as 6 months old.
          .
          The same is not true of Covid-19 vaccines which have just been approved for children 5 — 11 years of age. Maybe you have noticed that we have just started vaccinating this age group? And kids 12+ are not even eligible yet for a second shot? And basically all the experts now agree that the preferred dosage is at least 3 shots for adults?
          .
          Also all the vaccines are based off the original COV-2 virus. There has not yet been a chance to optimize the vaccines for the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and now Omicron variants. Once that is done the efficacy of the vaccine should be improved.
          .
          If we can get to that point, and the virus has not mutated to a more virulent form then I agree with you, it would be time to get vaccinated and learn to live with it.
          .
          As for a comparison to influenza we are still at about twice the mortality rate of influenza at the moment and the Covid-19 rate is now increasing due to the number of Omicron infections.
          .
          Yes Covid-19 will change from a pandemic to endemic, and yes we will have to learn to live with it, but let’s learn to live with it, not to die from it . Some people are impatient and are only concerned on how the pandemic affects their own lives. It’s not just about you, it’s about everyone.
          .
          You may also have noticed governments busy handling the current crisis which does not give then a whole lot of opportunity to plan for a transition from pandemic to endemic.
          .
          Here in Ontario we have a Premier stumbling over his clown shoes every time the weather changes or we get a new variant. Can you give us until at least June when we can get rid of the Ford circus?
          .
          One last item. I don’t care where you live in Canada, our hospitals, doctor, support personnel, and especially our nurses have gone above and beyond for almost two years now. The ones that haven’t quit are tired and need a rest. They need a break, and probably a hug too. Can we all just try not to do anything stupid and catch Covid-19 for the next few months in order to get this finally under control and give these heroes a chance to recover?

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  4. Posted by Inumariiq on

    I’d say,,, This Virus attacking Nunavut is on it’s final attack,,,,, WE ARE NUNAVUT STRONG,,, we will beat the virus in the name of GOD ALMIGHTY……

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    • Posted by Lives in Iqaluit on

      I’m all for “being strong” but this virus is certainly not on its last legs. Acting like it is just asking for trouble.

      People need to stop sharing masks, cigarettes, drinks and wear masks and wash themselves/hands. This virus is being transmitted easily because people are NOT doing what is necessary in the first place. Trying to make an effort woukd help! Don’t blame the current elected politicians or our medical experts. It’s in the citizens of each community to do their part especially that’s it’s in Nunavut now.

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      • Posted by Agree on

        I agree with this comment. In my community there are people who are refusing to be vaxxed.. citing human rights violation…these people are most likely the ones spreading it now.
        Shame shame on those ill informed idiots …it’ll be around for awhile

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    • Posted by The Old Trapper on

      Ah yes the same Almighty God that has allowed a minimum of 292,394,085 people to be infected, and a minimum of 5,448,758 people to be killed by Covid-19. (numbers from JHU website).
      .
      Seems that Almighty God has unleashed a fair bit of suffering and death for his/her own purposes. Strange that such a benevolent god would do this. I’m perplexed.
      .
      Inumariiq I hope that you can offer an explanation.

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    • Posted by When does god wake up? on

      How long before GOD ALMIGHTY hears all the ‘covid’ prayers people have been sending his way for the last two years or so?

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      • Posted by Philosophy on

        Thanks for posted your argument premised on the Problem of Evil. Please refer to any number of undergraduate philosophy textbooks to see how it has been refuted.

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        • Posted by No Dial Tone on

          Dear Philosophy,

          Just to clarify, it’s not the ‘problem of evil’ argument, it’s the ‘god doesn’t exist’ argument.

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      • Posted by The Old Trapper on

        Any day now I’m sure.

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  5. Posted by Grandma on

    Where can we pick up rapid test?

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  6. Posted by Lisa P on

    When Mumilaaq led us the numbers were much less. Oh Mumilaaq where is your leadership now? You held back the covid and steered us down a moral path. Remembering Mumilaaq.

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    • Posted by Umingmak on

      Okay, Trina. You can stop praising yourself now.

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    • Posted by Laugh track now please… on

      Ha, this comment made me laugh, great joke!

  7. Posted by Leonard Tremblay on

    What are screwed up place. You think that the people are going to stay at home, wear masks, not go out, let alone everything else. In a community of 600 hundred where everybody knows everybody else. Then the teachers and all else return from the south let alone everybody that went south to visit. Give me a break. Then therer’s the ‘praise the lord crowd’. My lord, how backward.

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  8. Posted by Noona on

    I am curious why the community of Arviat once again takes the lead in case numbers of covid. No judgment there but why is that? Perhaps someone should look into that? I am grateful some communities have nothing. And why is that? I am concerned about the southerners returning to Nunavut at this time of year. Wouldn’t it be better for them to stay in the south if that is an option for them, until this omicron wave has passed? That would decrease the numbers due to any sort of spread and relieve the burden on territory health centers. It seems that all the airport screening questions and rapid testing aren’t actually working.

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    • Posted by God protects! on

      I have a friend in Arviat who wrote an emotional post tonight about how she could not stand being locked down anymore and was going to go out tomorrow to visit family. She said she was not worried about getting covid because she had “faith” that god would protect her. Others responded to the post saying they were going to do the same thing. Not saying everyone in Arviat is like this, but it is at least a sample of what might be going on to some extent.

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    • Posted by Bubba on

      bash bash bash the virus. arviat strong!

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    • Posted by do some research on

      Arviat FYI, has a HUGE housing crisis more so than anywhere else in NU, some basic research would enlighten you to the FACT. Imagine 1 positive case in a household with 12 or more people living in a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. Think about that for a moment and you should understand why Arviat has an issue with Covid once again. The people in Arviat are doing just as good a job or better than anywhere else in NU, with above-average vaccinations rates than most of NU

      Don’t kid yourself in thinking the cases are only in the communities being reported, this is everywhere, our Health care system from a testing point of view has collapsed. The front-line workers deserve medals for their efforts, what few of them there are actually in NU.

      Arviat is also 3100 people way bigger than most communities in NU

      #STOP_THE_SHAMING #DO_REAL_RESEARCH #STOP_SPREADING_BS

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      • Posted by Noona on

        To do some research: Im well aware housing is a problem. It’s a well known problem across Nunavut. Naujaat has a horrible housing situation too yet no cases thus far. Something is different. The message from “god protects” may be worth reading again. God protects people by giving them the common sense to follow the guidelines and stay strong. Stop the spread.

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  9. Posted by Teachers on

    No official statement from the GN yet about schools, yet the high school in Iqaluit has said that teachers are in isolation until January 17th and only AFTER January 17th do they plan to BEGIN starting learning packages… What a joke this is, a month long holiday break and another school year down the drain. How come everyone else has to work from home while isolating due to COVID yet the teachers are not? There have been teachers openly saying on EDSBY and Twitter that they refuse to use their personal home internet for school work.

    And then they wonder why there is such animosity towards them??? Sorry you chose to leave the territory knowing full well the risks, stop taking this out on our kids and their education.

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    • Posted by Aatii on

      I got this notification as well on EDSBY about this topic. So there is absolutely no plan in place for learning remotely until the end of January? What about all the money being spent on EDSBY? Is our school system that archaic that teachers don’t do their lesson plans until school reopens after holidays? Remind me again why all my tax dollars fund this system? I may as well homeschool my teens myself, or just let them go into the workforce and get their GED in a couple of years… At this rate a high school diploma is going to be as useful as toilet paper.

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    • Posted by Outraged Parent on

      What a mess! Why is it not mandated that teachers are required to be fully vaccinated?? Every other public worker has to be. I can’t work at the hospital as a receptionist without having my vaccination and booster, citing working with the public. Why are teachers exempt from this here in Nunavut?

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    • Posted by a teacher on

      1) Teachers were not part of the decision making process to keep schools closed until the 17th.
      2) Many teachers came back as scheduled before January 5th.
      3) Many teachers are vaccinated and have had their booster.
      4) Lots of different occupations went south to see their families over the Christmas holidays, not just teachers. Teachers have a right to see their families and didn’t have the chance last Christmas to do that. They do not need to prioritize your children over their own families when they are on their approved holidays.
      5) Many teachers are now waiting for further instructions. These safety measures were put in place for all of our safety, not to give teachers extra holiday.

      Don’t use teachers as your own personal punching bag.

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