COVID-19 count nears 200 again in Nunavut
378 recoveries reported this wave of the pandemic
There were a total of 190 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut on Wednesday. (Graphic by Mélanie Ritchot)
Nunavut’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases neared 200 for the first time in about a week on Wednesday.
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok announced updated numbers on social media, reporting a total of 190 active cases confirmed by PCR testing, along with 378 recoveries and one death since this wave of the disease returned to Nunavut last month.
The communities with the most confirmed cases are Baker Lake with 39, and Arviat with 33.
Pangnirtung, on the other hand, dipped back down to zero cases on Wednesday for the first time in over three weeks.
Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, said during the government’s COVID-19 news conference Tuesday that he’s not more concerned about some communities than others in terms of spread.
“Right now I think every community has certain risks or has vulnerabilities in certain areas,” he said.
The important message at this point is that COVID-19 can reach any Nunavut community and people need to manage the risk the best they can, said Patterson.
Confirmed case breakdown:
- Arviat — 33
- Baker Lake — 39
- Cambridge Bay — 11
- Chesterfield Inlet — 1
- Coral Harbour — 13
- Iqaluit — 14
- Gjoa Haven — 2
- Kinngait — 20
- Kugaaruk — 2
- Naujaat — 12
- Pond Inlet — 1
- Rankin Inlet — 20
- Sanirajak — 3
- Sanikiluaq — 12
- Whale Cove — 2
- Taloyoak — 5
There have been a total of 10 hospitalizations as of Tuesday, Patterson said, and no single community has had more than five hospitalizations.
The Government of Nunavut’s case counts don’t include results from rapid tests done in community health centres or self-test kits.
The count also doesn’t include people being diagnosed with COVID-19 based on symptoms, if they are living with someone confirmed to have the disease, for example.
Some local leaders, like Cambridge Bay’s mayor, are reporting their own — higher — case counts to residents that include all of these results.
Patterson said last week some local health centres are communicating rapid test results directly to hamlets and he calls mayors himself if a first case of COVID-19 is reported in their communities.
Patterson and Akeeagok are scheduled to provide an update on the territory’s COVID-19 situation on Thursday at 11 a.m., ET, which will be streamed from the legislative assembly.
Can someone please explain to me what value these numbers hold if they are no longer testing everyone with symptoms or who had contact with a confirmed case? Everyone knows the number of COVID cases is higher than 190 if you read the article or news releases, so what value does that number hold?
It is most likely that there are more cases than reported, and with the new variant that has cold-like symptoms, a lot more people likely contracted it and recovered.
I can’t remember when I didn’t have a runny nose, headache, or fatigue in the dark season.
Also, make sure you give your immune system a boost by having vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium.
“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” – Michael Pollan.
It’s amazing how both government and media have told us the numbers are not representative, then follow that with a facade they expect us to take seriously, as if nothing had ever been mentioned.
When I read these numbers, I basically tell myself that this is the number of households where Covid has been confirmed. It’s closer to reality, even if still not a great measure.
You’re right about this, I just find it insulting that it is presented as we have “this many cases.” Which we all know is not an accurate depiction of what is happening. Even the people telling us know it is not.
I also find it insulting. They reported that Cambridge Bay was down to 4 cases, which makes it look like everything is under control. It’s only 4 cases, right? They must have those people isolated by now, the numbers have gone way down, things look good, maybe stop being so cautious.
.
But reality is that the number is more than 4, and not even just 4 households, but the time it’s been taking to have the tests sent out and confirmed has not been talked about by the government or media, although people in Cambridge Bay know that it’s been anywhere from 3 days to over a week. So after having a report of 4 cases, the next day it’s up to 11, but is that 11 households? How many cases?
Must be well over 20, likely over 30.
The number reflects the composite index of those with syptoms sever enough to warant seeking medical assistance, those discovered through contact tracing and those who self report. It is an indicator of trends. See worlometers covid site, and look at the daily reported vs daily deaths. From these two charts i can derive, that deaths seem to lag reports by 20 days, that the reported cases/death rate seems to decrease with each new variant.
The numbers are interesting when vaccination rates of communities is factored in. As with all statistics nothing is absolute, and accuracy deminishes with small sample sizes.
If there is no more or less testing., How do they know the number go up and down and how do they find out a person is cured?
After the announcement made by the UK today, maybe Canada is going to follow suit? The UK is fully reopening, and removing all mandates, back to ‘normal’, with reduced isolation of 5 days with two negative tests. Now that they set the global precedent, maybe everyone can follow suit. They can’t keep up with testing demand so they abandoned it. Is the world finally going to realize we have to try and live with this virus? Will Nunavut follow suit? I highly doubt it, we will have restrictions forever and be perpetually in a public health state of emergency.
Ah, yes, always a good idea to follow Boris Johnson, the UK PM who’s potentially facing a no-confidence vote from his own political party.
Its not just him, other countries are following suit. Heck even our CHPO said its time to move onto living with covid, its not going anywhere.
Measurement (or counting) can be a very useful tool, providing insight into what is happening.
.
But all too often, measurement changes from a tool to a goal. Then the objective becomes “achieving the measurement target”. And one day you discover that what is being measured has become the sole objective, rather than the means to an end.
Welcome to measurement hell, where the original objective has been, for all practical purposes, discarded.
.
This is not a GN problem. The change of measurement from “tool” to “goal and master” is common problem, all over the world. It does not have to be so, but it takes very competent leadership to keep control.