COVID-19 GN Update - February 1, 2022

Premier’s update:

Ullakkut,

As of this morning Nunavut has 462 positive cases of COVID-19.

We have active cases in 18 communities – the reported numbers are:

• 21 in Arviat,
• 44 in Baker Lake,
• 39 in Cambridge Bay,
• Two in Chesterfield Inlet,
• 26 in Coral Harbour,
• 94 in Igloolik
• 84 in Iqaluit,
• Zero in Gjoa Haven,
• Zero Kimmirut
• 21 in Kinngait,
• Zero in Kugaaruk,
• Ten Kugluktuk
• Seven in Naujaat,
• Five in Pangnirtung,
• 14 in Pond Inlet,
• Two in Qikiqtarjuaq,
• 23 in Rankin Inlet,
• Seven in Sanirajak,
• 32 in Sanikiluaq,
• 24 in Taloyoak, and
• Seven in Whale Cove. 

We have 83 reported recoveries today. There have been 684 total reported recoveries in this outbreak.

I want to remind Nunavummiut of the COVID-19 resource lines we have available. Please remember that the health and wellbeing of our communities is all our responsibilities.

If you develop symptoms such as a – runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever or difficulty breathing –call the COVID hotline at 1-888-975-8601.

If you are isolating because of COVID-19, you can call 1-888-902-0872 or email isolationsupports@gov.nu.ca to access the Government of Nunavut isolation grocery hamper.

For those with travel related questions please call Government of Nunavut’s toll-free travel line at 1-833-524-0735.

Please get vaccinated, get your children vaccinated, and get your booster shot when you can.

As always, continue to adhere to public health measures.

• Stay home when possible.
• Stick to your small bubble.
• Wear a mask.

Together we can make our communities safer for everyone.

Qujannamiik.

 

Minister of Health Update:

Good morning,

Caring for and protecting our Elders during this pandemic continues to be among our top priorities. As of yesterday, the number of Elders and care facility staff here in the territory with active cases of COVID-19 was ten. The numbers are shared between the Cambridge Bay Continuing Care Centre, the Arviat Elders Home, the Gjoa Haven Continuing Care Centre and the Igloolik Continuing Care Centre. Of those cases, one is an Elder. All positive staff are at home in isolation until recovered.

I am happy to report that recoveries from COVID-19 continue at Embassy West in Ottawa and fewer than five non-Nunavut resident elders at that facility have active COVID-19.

I’d like to thank all our Home and Continuing Care staff for their dedication and strength in the face of adversity.

We are also working closely with the Department of Justice to manage the outbreak of COVID-19 at the Iqaluit Healing Facility. As of yesterday, there were 45 cases of COVID-19 at the facility – 30 inmates and 15 staff.

I encourage everyone to continue following public health measures. Please take advantage of the vaccination clinics that are upcoming across Nunavut, or book an appointment to get your shot. Let’s all get vaccinated and reduce the risks from COVID-19 for our families, our friends, and our communities.

Thank you.

 

Minister of Human Resources Update:

Ullaakkut.

I commend the people who are in isolation fighting the virus. I realize this is a difficult and lonely time. But you are not alone. Government of Nunavut employees and their family can call the toll-free number 1-800-663-1142 for personal counselling through our Employee and Family Assistance Program in any of Nunavut’s official languages. It’s free and confidential.

When we return to the workplace, we need to follow health and safety procedures for the well-being of all public servants. Updated health and safety guidelines have been posted on the GN’s internal website and distributed to all GN employees via email.

We also recognize the increased risk of infection from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. As part of our commitment to safe and healthy workplaces, we would like to assure all GN employees that additional measures are being taken to prevent exposure to the virus in preparation for the return to the workplace.

By using the latest information from the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, and industry best practices, GN departments will be well equipped to manage the risk of COVID-19 infection.

The health, safety and wellness of Nunavummiut is our priority. Combining the best information from trusted sources with the expert knowledge of our front-line staff will allow the GN to continue providing sustainable service while protecting its employees. 

We must regularly assess safety procedures in the workplace and adjust, as necessary.  GN offices will reopen by February 1 (today) in all communities except for staff in Igloolik.  We continue to encourage supervisors to support hybrid schedules for their employees to balance work from home and work from office to reduce exposure between staff.  This measure will remain in place until February 11.

We must regularly assess safety procedures in the workplace and adjust, as necessary. 

• GN employees in Igloolik will continue to work from home until the public health measures for the community are amended. 
• All other GN employees may return to their workplaces today, however the offices remain closed to the public except by appointment. 

We continue to encourage supervisors to support hybrid schedules for their employees to balance work from home and work from office to reduce exposure between staff.  This measure will remain in place until February 11.

Lastly and most importantly, please get vaccinated and get your booster shot.

If you are able, please get vaccinated. By getting vaccinated you are helping to keep people who can’t get vaccinated safe.

 

Chief Public Health Officer Update:

Good morning,

I would like to remind people today of the isolation rules and how they related to self-rapid tests. Through the GN, there are a limited number of Rapid Tests that are going to essential workers or being provided to travellers returning from southern Canada. Some people are also purchasing tests privately. It is important to understand that these tests do not replace isolation or shorten isolation. If you are under an isolation order or are isolating because you have COVID-19 symptoms, you must complete the full isolation period. Rapid tests are not as reliable as PCR testing, and there is a higher risk of a false negative. This means if you leave isolation early you are increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others.

If you use a self-rapid test, that is fine, please keep the following in mind:

• If you test positive, call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-975-8601.
• If you test negative, remain isolated until you haven’t had symptoms for at least 24 hours.
• Anyone who feels sick, should stay home.

Symptoms can vary between individuals and depend on the variant of COVID-19 you have. Omicron is generally milder than other types of COVID-19 and include runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat. Other variants of COVID-19 the symptoms include fever, cough and loss of taste and smell. This is why we are asking anyone who feels sick, even if it seems mild, to stay home and isolate.

If you’re sick, stay home for seven days if you have been vaccinated or 10 days if you are not vaccinated. If after the isolation period you still have symptoms, remain isolated until you have been symptom free for 24 hours.

As of today, there have been 13 hospitalizations associated with this current wave of COVID-19 that began in early December.

 

As part of the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) effort to protect Nunavummiut against the risk of COVID-19, GN Departments are implementing the following:

Department of Health Services

For all the latest information and resources about COVID-19 in Nunavut, go to:
https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

For the latest information on current public health restrictions, go to: 
https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/nunavuts-path

For information on upcoming vaccine clinics go to:
https://gov.nu.ca/health/information/covid-19-vaccination

 

COVID-19 case statistics: February 1, 2022

Total Tests	Total confirmed cases	Total active cases	Total recovered cases	Deaths	Total persons vaccinated with at least one dose in Nunavut	Total persons vaccinated with two doses in Nunavut	Total persons vaccinated with three doses in Nunavut
31,531	1820	462	1353	5	32,139	25,925	11,770

COVID-19 community case statistics: February 1, 2022

Community	COVID-19 status	Time period	Public case count yesterday (TOTAL)	Public case count today (TOTAL)	Change from yesterday (cases)	Cumulative Recovered	Change from yesterday (recoveries)	Total Active Cases
Kugluktuk	Ongoing	Since 23 Jan 2022	11	11	0	1	0	10
Kimmirut	Ongoing	Since 22 Jan 2022	1	1	0	1	0	0
Naujaat	Ongoing	Since 15 Jan 2022	14	24	10	17	7	7
Kugaaruk	Ongoing	Since 14 Jan 2022	2	2	0	2	0	0
Gjoa Haven	Ongoing	Since 14 Jan 2022	4	4	0	4	0	0
Taloyoak	Ongoing	Since 11 Jan 2022	24	31	7	7	3	24
Coral Harbour	Ongoing	Since 9 Jan 2022	45	48	3	22	6	26
Whale Cove	Ongoing	Since 7 Jan 2022	20	20	0	12	0	7
Sanikiluaq	Ongoing	Since 4 Jan 2022	46	52	6	20	2	32
Kinngait	Ongoing	Since 01/02/2022	68	72	4	51	3	21
Pond Inlet	Ongoing	Since 01/01/2022	16	17	1	3	2	14
Chesterfield Inlet	Ongoing	Since 01/01/2022	6	7	1	5	0	2
Cambridge Bay	Ongoing	Since 12/30/2021	87	93	6	54	8	39
Igloolik	Ongoing	Since 12/29/2021	128	140	12	46	26	94
Baker Lake	Ongoing	Since 12/29/2021	77	87	10	43	9	44
Arviat	Ongoing	Since 12/29/2021	1129	129	0	108	3	21
Sanirajak	Ongoing	Since 12/29/2021	27	28	1	21	0	7
Qikiqtarjuaq	Ongoing	Since 12/28/2021	10	10	0	8	0	2
Rankin Inlet	Ongoing	Since 12/23/2021	105	108	3	85	6	23
Pangnirtung	Ongoing	Since 12/23/2021	28	31	3	26	0	5
0	Ongoing	Since 11/04/2021	216	232	16	148	18	84
TOTAL			1064	1147	83	684	93	462

*Please note: These numbers change frequently. Every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date and complete, but it may not reflect all persons followed or tested.

** Starting 17 Jan 2022, confirmed cases include those meeting the revised Nunavut case definitions. This includes COVID-19 cases detected either by a confirmatory (PCR) or a presumptive (rapid) test.

***There may be a delay reporting attribution and statistics from cases acquired in Southern Canada. 12 cases that were detected out of territory have been attributed to Nunavut. This includes 3 deaths. Not all NU residents with COVID-19 detected out of territory will be attributed to Nunavut.

COVID-19 vaccination status: February 1, 2022

Details/Limitations:

This information shows the number of doses given in a community as of February 1, 2022. The percentage of vaccine administered is vaccine administered divided by the Nunavut population estimate for 18 and older.

Territorial totals for doses are an accurate summary. The community level data is under review to ensure appropriate attribution. Community totals will be adjusted as needed.  This may lead to minor fluctuations in the percentages by community.

Doses are typically attributed to the community in which they are administered.

Total doses given will include residents and non-residents, including rotational workers.

Multiple communities represent individuals who received doses in two separate communities, or in communities that are not their place of residence.

An individual may have received dose 1 and/or dose 2 outside of their community of residence.

This does not account for people who may have been vaccinated partially or fully out of territory.

A high percentage in one community does not equal herd immunity. There is no established or defined percentage of what herd immunity is for COVID-19. Whatever herd immunity may be, it cannot achieved with current vaccine approvals (e.g. no vaccine available for children under twelve).

Source:

Statistics Canada, Demography Division, Special tabulations. Prepared by: Nunavut Bureau of Statistics, January 27, 2021.

Dose numbers are from the Department of Health's Meditech system.

Eligible adults in community are defined as the number of individuals 18 and older as per the 2020 population estimates.

The community population estimates are "non-official" since they are not based on components of population growth (births, deaths and migration). They should be used with caution.

Isolation population: 

Traveler Type	Guests in Isolation as of January 31
Medical	13
Public	0
EMTI	0
Construction	0
Total	13

Traveller repatriation summary:

Departure Date	# of Travellers from Health Isolation Sites
Feb. 1, 2022	0
Feb. 2, 2022	0
Feb. 3, 2022	0
Feb. 4, 2022	2
Feb. 5, 2022	0
Total	2

 

 

Department of Education Services

New developments in your programs/services:

K-12 Schools

• As advised by the CPHO, Netsilik School in Taloyoak closed to students and staff on January 27, 2022.
  • School staff in Taloyoak are contacting students and parents regarding remote learning.
• Iqaluit schools opened to 100% capacity on January 31, 2022.
  • Iqaluit schools will adhere to all health and safety precautions following department guidelines.
  • Students and staff are reminded to wear masks at school and on the bus.
• Sakku School in Coral Harbour is closed to students until February 4, 2022 due to operational requirements.
  • School staff in Coral Harbour are contacting students and parents regarding remote learning.

Early Learning and Child Care

As advised by the CPHO, child care facilities in Taloyoak and Coral Harbour may remain open to all families.

Ongoing services:

K-12 Schools

Iqaluit schools opened to 100% capacity on January 31, 2022.

• Iqaluit schools will adhere to all health and safety precautions following department guidelines.
• Students and staff are reminded to wear masks at school and on the bus.

With the exception of Coral Harbour, Igloolik, and Taloyoak, all other Nunavut schools are open to students at either 50% capacity or 100% capacity, depending on the COVID-19 situation in each community.

• Schools in Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Kinngait, Rankin Inlet, and Sanikiluaq are open at 50% capacity.
• Schools in all other communities are open at 100% capacity.
• Schools will communicate directly to students and families regarding their status and cohort plans.
• If parents are not sure about their student’s cohort, they should contact their student’s teacher.

FANS

• The FANS office continues to process payments for students who have submitted their FANS Student Enrollment Form (SEF).
• Nunavut Arctic College (NAC) students who have not yet done so should send their FANS SEF (with Part A completed) and their NAC enrollment verification letter to the FANS office.
• Students must allow up to 15 business days from the date they submitted their required enrollment document(s) to FANS to the date they should see the funds deposited into their bank account.
• If after 15 business days students have not received a deposit in their bank account, they can email fans@gov.nu.ca to let them know. Students should attach a copy of their bank statement from January 1 to the current date.
• Questions about FANS benefits can be sent to fans@gov.nu.ca.
• Students with questions about their FANS-eligible travel can contact fanstravel@gov.nu.ca for information.
• Students who experience flight changes during their travel should email fanstravel@gov.nu.ca during office hours or, if it is after hours, call the after-hours travel number at 1-867-857-6950.

Early Learning and Child Care

• As advised by the CPHO, Igloolik child care facilities may remain open for essential workers.

FANS

• During peak times for the FANS office, such as the start of a new semester, the service standard for responding to emails is 3-5 business days. Response times from the FANS office may be delayed due to active COVID-19 cases in Arviat.
• Currently, FANS staff are working remotely, and the regular FANS phone line is not being monitored. If you would like to speak to a FANS representative, please send an email to set up an appointment at fans@gov.nu.ca.
• The best way to contact FANS is by email at fans@gov.nu.ca.

Closed/Cancelled/Suspended Services:

K-12 Schools

As advised by the CPHO, schools in Igloolik and Taloyoak are closed to students and staff.

• Schools in Igloolik and Taloyoak are contacting students and parents regarding remote learning.

Sakku School in Coral Harbour is closed to students until February 4, 2022 due to operational requirements.

• School staff in Coral Harbour are contacting students and parents regarding remote learning.

 

 

Nunavummiut’s health is our shared responsibility! Remember: wash your hands, get vaccinated, practice social distancing, listen to the advice of health officials, and stay home if you’re sick.