1 more case of COVID-19 in Yellowknife; 8 total active in NWT

This image is a computer generated representation of COVID-19 virions (SARS-CoV-2) under electron microscope. (Felipe Esquivel Reed/Wikimedia Commons).

The office of the chief public health officer (OCPHO) reported one new case of COVID-19 in Yellowknife on Sunday.

According to the OCPHO, the individual is a contact of a previously reported case, meaning there is still no evidence of untraced community spread.

There are eight total active COVID-19 cases in the NWT; six are in Yellowknife and two in Fort Smith.

In an advisory, the OCPHO says it has identified about 90 people that are contacts in five cases in Yellowknife that are related to the same cluster.

“A cluster refers to cases that are clustered in time, geographic location or by common exposure,” reads the advisory.

While there is no public exposure risk related to the latest case, there are for the previously identified cases. Those are outlined here.

No public risk related to Canadian North flight

Nunavut’s chief public health officer has confirmed two people with COVID-19 travelled on a Canadian North flight from Iqaluit to Rankin Inlet on April 23.

The flight then continued to Yellowknife, where seven people disembarked.

NWT public health officials have followed up with all seven individuals. Those that were NWT residents must now self-isolate and get tested. The non-residents that disembarked were staying in Yellowknife for 24 hours or less and have been self-isolating before returning to their home territory or province.

The OCPHO says there is no public risk related to the flight.

About the Author

Francis Tessier-Burns
Francis was a reporter with CKLB from January 2019 to March 2023. In his time with CKLB, he had the immense pleasure and honour of learning about northern Indigenous cultures.