Black Lake outbreak linked to three-day funeral
A New Year's Eve funeral/wake event in one of Saskatchewan's most northern communities has resulted in a COVID -19 outbreak.
The Northern Inter-tribal Health Authority Inc. (NITHA) issued a statement on Sunday notifying the public about an outbreak in the community of Black Lake related to a funeral/wake covering Dec. 31 to Jan. 2.
The statement said people who attended later tested positive for COVID-19; it warns of increased cases in the community linked to travel and mass gatherings.
Black Lake is a Denesuline First Nation community of about 1,300 people in the far north central zone that is comprised of a sparsely populated strip at the top of the province.
The Starphoenix sought an update on cases related to the gathering from the NITHA on Wednesday, but did not receive a reply.
According to the province's numbers, active cases in the far north central zone, which has a population of 2,662, had risen to 87 on Wednesday — the highest point at any time during the pandemic. Active cases had dipped to 17 on Jan. 4.
Active cases had previously peaked at 72 on Nov. 26 as a result of an outbreak in Fond du Lac.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Athabasca Health Authority (AHA) posted a total of 48 active cases on its Facebook page in the communities of Black Lake, Stony Rapids and Fond du Lac.
The AHA reported 47 active cases in Black Lake, including two in hospital, 160 close contacts isolating and nine households with cases.
The NITHA and AHA were unable to explain the discrepancy in active case numbers.