2nd COVID-19 case in 2 days confirmed in Arviat

A second active case of COVID-19 has been reported in Arviat, Nunavut.

The person is asymptomatic and doing well, according to a Saturday news release from Nunavut's Department of Health.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nunavut since Dec. 28 was reported in Arviat on Friday.

"The Department of Health is actively monitoring the situation in Arviat," Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut's chief public health officer, said in the release. 

He said there is no evidence right now of community transmission and that the risk of the virus spreading is lower than in November, when there was a major outbreak in the community.

"Ongoing surveillance and the current public health measures in place in the community serve to further reduce these risks," Patterson said.

The health department said 30 tests have been completed in the past couple of days and there have been no other positive results. More tests will be done over the next 24 hours. 

The Nunavut government is urging Arviammiut to continue following public health restrictions.

Those restrictions include wearing a mask in public places, physical distancing, limiting gatherings to 10 people plus households indoors and 50 people outdoors, washing hands frequently, and staying home if you feel unwell.

The government said anyone who believes they've been exposed to COVID-19 is advised to call the COVID hotline at 1-888-975-8601 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., or notify their community health centre, and immediately isolate for 14 days. It's reminding people not to go to the health centre in person.

Arviat has had a total of 223 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, while Nunavut as a whole has had 267 cases. 

On Saturday, the Nunavut government said its previous case count was off by one, as "a previous positive case was inadvertently counted twice."