Nunavut adds three COVID-19 deaths
Cases were among 12 first reported in Manitoba in December and January
The deaths of three Nunavummiut from COVID-19 between December and January will be recorded under the territory’s tally, the Nunavut government announced Wednesday. (Image by Gerd Altmann/Pixabay)
Nunavut’s COVID-19 death toll climbed to four Wednesday as three deaths that had been recorded in Manitoba were transferred to the territory’s case count.
They were among 12 cases diagnosed in Manitoba in December and January, a Government of Nunavut news release said. The government did not identify the people who died or what community they were from.
It brings the territory’s case count to 395, including the four deaths.
Until Wednesday, Nunavut had only recorded one death — Luki Sammurtok, an Arviat man who died in a Winnipeg hospital on Dec. 19.
In December, Nunavut reported that two people had died. But the government later revised that number, saying that there were questions about where the other death should be recorded.
Premier Joe Savikataaq expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the people who died.
“Our condolences go out to all Nunavummiut who have lost loved ones to COVID-19, and you are in our hearts and thoughts,” he said in the news release.
The government had previously acknowledged that some Nunavummiut had died of COVID-19 outside of the territory and that their deaths were recorded in other jurisdictions.
Chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson said the 12 new cases that were transferred from Manitoba’s count were not new. On Wednesday, there were only two active cases in all of Nunavut, both of them in Arviat, which has faced an outbreak since January.
“Rest assured, these are not new cases and are not linked to current or past outbreaks of COVID-19 in territory,” Patterson said.
COVID-19 cases contracted by Nunavummiut outside the territory will be recorded by the territory on a “case-by-case” basis, and the Government of Nunavut will work with public health departments in southern Canada to decide how statistics are reported, the news release said.
As a result, there may be delays in Nunavut’s online case counts, says the statement.
“As we continue to navigate the pandemic, we know there will be shifts in several areas of our response, including new ways of reporting cases,” said Savikataaq.
I am glad to hear that our Premier has expressed his condolances to the families of those we lost. I wonder what it will take for Mumilaaq to do the same?
Depends. How many retweets and Facebook likes will she get for doing it?
Yeah I wonder when the other MLA will do the same or have they forgotten their constituents?
Who is this Mumilaaq you speak off? She was the first to realize that the cause of the outbreak was shortage of housing. Or she assumed it, often she brings many problems to the table but offers no solutions. Do we need another 4 years off this problem?
We need an MP that can make a difference..
This was the right thing to do… even if they did not get Covid in Nunavut they are still our family/friends and our people. this helps show where they mattered.
Condolences to all the other families that have lost someone.