Nunavut counts 548 COVID-19 cases
Schools in Gjoa Haven reduced to half capacity
Gjoa Haven’s school is at 50 per cent capacity due to the community seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, following gatherings of elementary school children that occurred last week when schools were out for professional development week. (File photo)
The number of cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut jumped by 136 over the weekend, although no recovered cases were reported.
The total active case count was 548 on Monday, up from 412 on Friday, according to a post by Premier P.J. Akeeagok on Twitter.
The total number of cases that have recovered since this wave of the virus began was 1,305 on Friday and did not change on Monday.
Recovered cases are expected to be announced at a COVID-19 update on Tuesday morning.
Public health restrictions eased in many communities on Monday, while schools in Gjoa Haven moved to 50 per cent capacity as cases rose in the community.
Nunavut’s chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson, announced the changes for Gjoa Haven on Sunday.
“Last week in Gjoa Haven there were a number of gatherings that involved elementary school children while the school was closed for [professional development] week,” he said in a news release.
“Due to increased risk and possible exposures to COVID-19, I am reducing attendance capacity at the school,” he said, adding he will reassess the situation next week.
There were 11 cases of the virus in Gjoa Haven on Monday, up from zero cases logged one week ago.
On Friday, Patterson also announced cases were going up in Pond Inlet, resulting in their plans to ease restrictions on Monday being stopped.
On Monday there were 24 cases in Pond Inlet.
Clyde River’s first presumptive case was also announced on Friday, which has now seemingly been confirmed, with one confirmed case being counted in the community on Monday.
In Naujaat, Patterson issued an exposure notice for residents who attended a wedding in town last week.
There were eight cases in Naujaat on Monday.
Iqaluit still has the most cases of COVID-19 in the territory, with Rankin Inlet and Kugaaruk following behind.
Here are Nunavut’s 548 cases by community:
- Arctic Bay — 1
- Arviat — 19
- Baker Lake — 22
- Cambridge Bay — 15
- Coral Harbour — 13
- Clyde River — 1
- Gjoa Haven — 11
- Igloolik — 48
- Iqaluit — 149
- Kinngait — 12
- Kugaaruk — 43
- Kugluktuk — 1
- Naujaat — 8
- Pangnirtung — 24
- Pond Inlet — 24
- Qikiqtarjuaq — 3
- Rankin Inlet — 70
- Resolute Bay — 9
- Sanikiluaq — 14
- Sanirajak — 29
- Taloyoak — 32
Kugaaruk’s case count nearly doubled over the weekend, going from 22 cases on Friday to 43 on Monday.
Isolation requirements changed over the weekend, with non-vaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers now able to isolate in their home community instead of at a hub outside of the territory.
As of Saturday, the hubs will only be used for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Nunavummiut who test positive for COVID-19 while on medical travel, the Health Department announced in a news release on Friday.
Patterson, Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Health Minister John Main are scheduled to give an update on COVID-19 on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., which can be streamed on the legislative assembly’s website.
Why have schools in Iqaluit and Rankin not been reduced to half capacity?
In my estimation, having followed the policy decisions made by various organizations that I enjoy at least moderate access to the mind of, the reactivity, the pure chaos, and the staggering lack of consistency across the board should completely dumbfound any future historian or observer interested in piecing together the incoherent mess that has been our response to covid on almost every imaginable level.
EOM
Contrary to our standard modelling of things… the closer we “zoom in” the less clearly we see anything recognizable. All the less shape, all the less form, nothing we can make sense of appears where we would expect everything to become clear and reveal itself.
Well, should it not be the opposite? Is this not an alternate reality of sorts?
Of course… here we are, living in a dream, caught in an upside down world. Will we ever wake up? What will we wake up to?
Why are there zero exposure notices in our communities?
Why is the hotline telling people who test positive that they don’t need to isolate? and why are people with positive household members not isolating and going work?
Why are numbers reported so low in comparison to number cases locally. Can Dr Patterson ask each health center for thier locally tallied numbers ?
That’s the only way people will stop down playing the seriousness of having to isolate if there are active cases!
No one will believe anything unless the government reports those numbers!
And then once Dr. Patterson sees the actual numbers maybe he will be shocked at what he is allowing in our communities or is that what he is trying to avoid? Keep one eye blind to the reality?
Our healcsnters are soo swamped they can not function, our nurses are so tired they can not make logical decisions but yet we are still saying go on with life…
Dr. St. Patterson is the only one making decisions and policy with nothing being done to bring the numbers down in Nunavut. We need to move past the unelected running everything in Nunavut one day! PJ we thought wrongly you could lead as it is getting so crystal clear you are not able to do so. MLAs please start your work and make him accountable for Nunavut’s continue emergency status on Covid.