N.W.T. expands eligibility for booster shots, issues record 21 public exposure notices

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a correction from public health officials. It initially said students attending junior kindergarten at East Three Elementary School in Inuvik on Tuesday had to isolate, however, the date is actually Wednesday.

The N.W.T.'s health and social services authority announced it will expand the eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots beginning Monday.

Residents who are 60 and over who live in Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ, Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Smith will be eligible to get a booster shot.

In all other N.W.T. communities, booster shots will be available to residents 50 and over.

Third doses had been available to Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ or Behchokǫ̀ residents who were 75 and older, as well as front-line health workers in Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, and those who are immunocomprised.

The authority said booster doses can be taken six months after a second dose. It also specified that booster doses are different than third doses.

"A booster contains less vaccine product than a third full dose," it said in a news release. The authority also said people who are immunocompromised may be eligible for a third dose instead of a booster, and suggested people let their healthcare provider know during their immunization appointment.

The authority said it was taking this measure on the advice of the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO), who issued a record 21 public exposure notices Friday, the same day the number of overall cases in the territory dropped from 376 on Thursday to 354.

The OCPHO also declared an outbreak at City Cabs in Yellowknife.

It said anyone who has taken a City Cab any time between Sept. 29 and Oct. 15 should monitor for symptoms and get tested should any develop.

One of the public exposure notices is for passengers who were seated in rows three to nine on the Westjet flight WS 3258 from Edmonton to Yellowknife on Oct. 8. 

Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers on both flights are required to isolate for 10 days and arrange to get tested for COVID-19. Vaccinated passengers are asked to self-monitor for symptoms. Should they develop, passengers must isolate and arrange for testing.

The full list of public exposure notices is available here.

The situation in Inuvik

Earlier in the day, the OCPHO announced there was COVID-19 community transmission in Inuvik. Later the OCPHO reported eight cases in the community, an increase of two from yesterday.

Late Friday, the OCPHO issued a public exposure notice requiring parents of children who attend junior kindergarten at East Three Elementary School in Inuvik to immediately isolate and arrange testing for their children. 

Initially, public health said all children in junior kindergarten who attended school on Tuesday had to isolate for 10 days. They later issued a correction, saying children who attended junior kindergarten on Wednesday had to isolate.

Parents were also directed to arrange for COVID-19 testing.  

Where the cases are

The majority of cases in the territory remain in the Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ, where the OCPHO is reporting 195 cases, and in Behchokǫ̀ where there are 117 cases being reported.

It's a drop of 10 and 16 cases, respectively, since Thursday.

There are 16 cases in Hay River and K'atl'odeeche First Nation, an increase of three since Thursday, while Fort Simpson is reporting six cases — which is unchanged from Thursday. 

There are five cases in Fort Smith, one less than Thursday. There remains three cases in Whatì, two in Fort Good Hope, and one each in Łutsel Kʼe and Norman Wells.

Stanton gets increased oxygen capacity

In one of many updates on Friday, the health and social services authority said that the installation of an oxygen concentrator, which will increase the capacity of the existing oxygen system at Stanton Territorial Hospital, is underway. 

The external piece of equipment is part of an ongoing effort to increase oxygen supply at the hospital in case there is a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

The concentrator was brought to Yellowknife in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and federal suppliers, the authority said. Staff have also been trained on oxygen contingency systems. 

The authority said the device will increase "general facility noise" while it's being used — and there may be extra traffic in the area amid its installation.

New location to get proof of vaccination

A new location where N.W.T. residents can get proof of their vaccination status will open at Yellowknife's Centre Square Mall on Tuesday. 

The Proof of Vaccination Record Office will be open from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, the authority said. 

The office is for people who have issues with a newly-announced online system for getting vaccination records, which the authority is asking residents to use first, or for those who don't have access to a computer. 

The existing office, at the Primary Care Centre building, closed on Friday.

The new office will be on the lower level of the mall, next to the elevators, on the southeast end of the building, and staff will make the move on Monday.