NUNAVUT AND ATLANTIC CANADA WERE CONSIDERED TWO REGIONS IN CANADA WHERE THE CORONAVIRUS DID NOT RELENTLESSLY STALK. NOW IT APPEARS THE SPIKES OF COVID-19 HAVE PRICKED THEIR BUBBLES.
NUNAVUT'S REMOTE COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCE FIRST OUTBREAKS
The coronavirus has finally found its way into the northern territory of Nunavut, with 70 cases in a handful of communities, mostly around Hudson Bay.
As yet, officials haven't determined what went wrong or how the cases entered the territory, which has long had strict travel bans in place, but health officials have announced a two-week lockdown, beginning Wednesday, to try and keep the spread under control in a territory that has limited hospital capacity.
“Right now, we still don't know, mainly because we've been concentrating on using this time to deal with the spread and keep it isolated as best we can,” Health Minister Lorne Kusugak said in an interview. “Our priority is trying to contain what's here already.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Nunavut put in place some of the most stringent measures in the country, restricting travel into the territory to residents and those coming in for work, and requiring they self-isolate in designated spots in southern cities before flying into the territory.
In large part that measure worked, until Nov. 6, when the territory confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19 in Sanikiluaq. The territory had expanded its travel bubble to the Northwest Territories and Churchill, Manitoba in the summer; the Northwest Territories shut down its borders with Nunavut on Monday.
As of Wednesday, Nunavut has 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and community spread. There are 54 cases of COVID-19 in Arviat, a community on the shore of Hudson Bay with some 2,600 residents; and six cases in Rankin Inlet, which is north of Arviat. There are eight cases in Whale Cove (between Arviat and Rankin Inlet) and two cases in Sanikiluaq, located on the Belcher Islands, about 150 kilometres from the Quebec coast of Hudson Bay.
Kusugak said one of the differences between the north and the south when it comes to the outbreak is “everybody literally knows everybody.”
“As you find out that Bob is isolating in your community, everybody knows which Bob it is and it's very important not to spread rumours and respect Bob and that's something different, I think, from the south,” he said. “It becomes a community effort to make sure we're not spreading it and are respectful of each other.”
Dr. Michael Patterson, the territory's chief public health officer, said the medical system is stretched, but not overwhelmed just yet. The issue for Nunavut is the territory lacks the hospital capacity to care for very sick patients.
Everyone who has tested positive is self-isolating at home. Anyone who needs more intensive care, such as ongoing intravenous fluid, oxygen or life support, will need to be airlifted to southern hospitals in Winnipeg or Ottawa.
Officials said Wednesday there are multiple options available if some southern hospitals become overwhelmed by their own cases of COVID-19.
In response to the outbreaks, the territory brought in wide-ranging lockdowns as of Wednesday, with all non- essential businesses closed and people asked to work from home. Schools have moved to remote learning, with students picking up education packages, and there are thousands of laptops on order for students to learn from home.
“Moving forward they' ll be doing schoolwork,” said Kusugak. “It can get very complicated very quickly.”
Daycare centres may either close or stay open — a move to support essential workers, officials explained.
Recreation facilities are closed and team sports suspended, and there are gathering caps of five people outdoors and five people plus family indoors. The territory will re-evaluate its lockdown in two weeks to decide if they need to go further.
“Knowing that we're close to our limit in terms of our capacity right now, that's the rationale for bringing these orders into place,” said Patterson.
Kusugak said the Nunavut government has been watching and learning from outbreaks that have happened elsewhere in the country.
“We knew it was going to come, we knew it eventually would make its way to Nunavut,” he said. “I think we're handling it as calmly and as good as we would if it happened eight months ago.”