TORONTO —
Nunavut issued a territory-wide two-week shutdown Monday following a jump in COVID-19 cases that had health officials worried the infection could spread quickly to other remote communities vulnerable to an outbreak and quickly overwhelm resources.
Eight more cases were reported on Monday, bringing the territory’s total to 26. After managing to avoid a single case since the first infection was identified in Canada in January, Nunavut reported its first COVID-19 patient on Nov. 6. Ten cases were identified on Sunday, which more than doubled the number of infections in the territory within 48 hours. Contact-tracing efforts indicate that it was possible other communities could have also been exposed to the virus.
“Our saving grace is we’ve had time to prepare. More is known about the virus now,” Premier Joe Savikataaq told CTV’s Power Play, adding that people were also now accustomed to the safety and distancing protocols around the coronavirus.
“The problem we have is we have so much overcrowding within Nunavut in all 25 of our communities and that is a problem in terms of whether you can isolate and whether the virus will spread.”
The premier said health workers and the territory’s health resources were able to handle the cases in the three communities so far.
“If it goes into any more communities, then we may need to ask for help in terms of resources and finances, but right now, we’re holding our own,” Savikataaq said.
He reiterated the chief public health officer’s assessment that Nunavut could likely handle three or four communities, but anything more would likely require asking for additional resources from the federal government.
There are currently confirmed cases in Sanikiluaq, Rankin Inlet and Arviat. There have been no indications of community transmission at Sanikiluaq, but Rankin Inlet has seen a single case turn into four. The cases were all traced back to the hamlet of Arviat, Savikataaq said.
The territory said Sunday that community transmission is believed to be occurring in Arviat, which has a population of just over 2,600, as there is no clear links between the patients to show how they became infected.
So far, those infected are showing symptoms, but everyone is “doing well” and isolating at home, he said on Power Play.
“All the cases have a common denominator that they came from Winnipeg, to the best of our knowledge.”
Travellers entering the territory must complete a 14-day isolation period at one of Nunavut’s isolation hubs in Winnipeg. Everyone infected underwent the mandatory isolation, the premier said, so health officials are investigating how the cases could have entered the territory.
“They will be looking at what broke down. What wasn’t working that the virus was able to come in, even with the people that did do the 14-day isolation,” Savikataaq said.
TERRITORY-WIDE LOCKDOWN
The territory ordered all non-essential services, businesses and organizations to close or switch to a work-from-home model starting Wednesday. Grocery stores, fuel service stations, Canada Post and financial institutions were the only exceptions, chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson said in a news conference earlier Monday.
“We’re taking these steps for at least the next two weeks to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Effective Wednesday and territory wide, all gatherings are restricted to five people.”
Outdoor gatherings of more than five people will no longer be permitted, and indoor gatherings will be restricted to five people in addition to household members, according to details in a press release.
Travel within Nunavut is not restricted, but government officials highly recommend against it. For those entering the territory, a 14-day isolation period was still required.
“Think of it as a circuit breaker chance to reset,” Savikataaq said earlier at a news conference.
“So there’s no misunderstanding — do not visit. Do not socialize outside your household. And I cannot stress this enough — stay home.”
Patterson said the shutdown was necessary to control community transmission.
“Through our investigations we have concerns that COVID-19 may spread to additional communities, which is why we are initiating a territory-wide lockdown with restrictions similar to what we saw in March and April,” he said, explaining the concern rose from instances where people left a community before the infection was identified. Health officials have been in touch with contacts who may have been exposed.
All schools will close and move to remote learning, and child-care centres will be closed to all but essential workers. Visitation to long-term care centres is on hold as well for at least two weeks unless approved by the public health physician on call, Patterson said.
All health centres will also close except for emergency services. Bars will close and restaurants will only be offering take-out services.
All recreation facilities will be closed and all sporting activities and events are suspended. Personal services, such as hairstylists and masseuses, must close as well.
Patterson said that the government will re-evaluate the effectiveness of the shutdown on Dec. 2 to determine if the new restrictions need to remain in place for longer.
The territory is also now recommending face masks be worn in all public spaces and when physical distancing cannot be maintained. Masks remain mandatory in the Kivalliq region, and Sanikiluaq.
Savikataaq said it was “more important than ever” that residents do their part to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in the territory’s communities.
“For the health and safety of all Nunavummiut this is necessary,” he said.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
