New case of COVID-19 confirmed in Nunavik
Infected patient is in Puvirnituq, in isolation at home
Puvirnituq residents are in shock and mourning after the suspected death of a kayaker and the unexpected discovery of other human remains, says acting mayor Jenny Tulugak Irqu. (File photo)
Health officials say they’ve confirmed a new case of COVID-19 in Nunavik, the first in the region in about two months.
The infected person is located in Puvirnituq, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services said in a news release on Thursday, July 2.
That individual is not in critical condition, the health board said, and remains in isolation at home in Puvirnituq.
“The public health department immediately began an investigation and are tracing the source of the infection,” said Minnie Grey, executive director of the NRBHSS, in the release.
“Information that public health has collected so far indicates that the situation is under control and … this positive test does not require us to shut down regular activities in the community.”
Nunavik has been free of COVID-19 since May 5, but this new case brings the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections in the region to 17. Fifteen of those cases have been in Puvirnituq.
The new case comes as the Nunavik Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (N-REPAC) has largely reopened services throughout the region.
Just this past week, the region lifted restrictions allowing swimming pools, youth centres, gyms and bingo games to operate.
Air travel to and from the region remains limited to essential workers, medical travel and some construction workers, though intercommunity travel has been open since the beginning of June.
If you live in Nunavik and you think you might have COVID-19, do not visit your local health centre in person. Instead, call the Health-Info line at 1-888-662-7482 on Monday through Friday from noon to 10 p.m.
Nothing to do with authority really. But few short days ago , they the authority was patty each other on the back, as though they were the answers to all our covid woos. Listen up, this is not over, and it could only be starting. Stop patting your backs. Get on board with some real restrictions for the area. Make it sensible, not make life so that line ups are created. Think. Stop the flow of people from the south, that don’t need to be here. And realize everyone working at the health board and the hospital are not essential workers. Keep them from moving around also.
So is travel from and to that community now closed until further notice?
This is a false alarm the family & person in question were tested twice in two days all tests were negative I know as I am a member of the family check your facts before crying wolf
How would you really know? There appears to be complete secrecy as to who gets infected. Your comment is missing important parts. It’s not about you that think you know who. It’s about the facts of someone infected and you know not who.
How did the virus get into the community? Did this person just get back from Montreal or something?
Being Covid free for two months how was this person infected?
From my perspective health care workers are not in the same respect category as the rest of the population. I’m not talking about doctors nurses and other essential workers. I’m talking about non essential workers from the south. They go on vacation every two months and are potentially putting Nunavik at risk. The health board and hospital in Kuujjuaq is loaded with theses non essential workers from the south. Plus boyfriends and girlfriends of the said non essential workers are freely going and coming also. This will eventually bring the virus right to us. Hey , authorities: stop this now, if you want to protect us.
Individuals are returning from Mtl after completing a questionnaire, return to work the next day, some company’s quarantine their employees for 14 days in Nunavik, someone who arrived with me went to work the next day( we are quarantined) it is concerning they should swab at the airport and 5 days later or whatever the protocol is, also I was told that if you go to Mtl for 3 days or less, you do not have quarantine ,there are a lot of gaps and many people who think it is a farce, there should be improved messaging