N.W.T. residents who are immunocompromised to soon get 3rd COVID-19 shot

Some people in the Northwest Territories with compromised immune systems will be able to get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine starting this month. 

That's according to Scott Robertson, executive co-lead of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, who gave an update to CBC this morning.

The N.W.T.'s chief public health officer, Dr. Kami Kandola, and Robertson took live questions on The Trailbreaker.

"For people with moderate to severe immune compromise — that's what the recommendation is — to be offered a third dose," he said.

Robertson said later on Thursday, people will be able to book an appointment online if they are in Yellowknife or by calling their health centre or public health unit.

Robertson also said the territory is updating its proof of vaccination form but that won't be ready until sometime at the end of October.

The phone-in comes as Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Whatì are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, with cases climbing daily. Territorial statistics from Tuesday indicate there are 121 active cases in Yellowknife, 29 in Behchokǫ̀ and 20 in Whatì.

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Here are some of your questions answered:

How has the delta variant and the way it affects kids influenced N.W.T.'s decision-making in terms of school closures?

"The delta variant is responsible for the majority of new COVID infections, not only in N.W.T. but across Canada," Kandola said. "It's highly infectious, and it can spread quickly."

Kandola said schools had to close because of a rapidly growing caseload. 

"It was that sheer number of introductions that could overwhelm the school's capacity, and it was best to keep schools closed until the activity dies down," she said.

As well, Kandola noted how the delta variant has affected children in the U.S. with more child hospitalizations, ICU admissions and even deaths. 

Does this mean schools wont reopen after Sept. 24?

Kandola said officials will look at transmission in Yellowknife, and whether community spread is continuing. The next 10 will determine the trajectory. Kandola said it's important to know whether cases are slowing, increasing or steadying to determine school orders. 

Hopeful the territory will not have to extend the order, she said.

Is the territory getting ready to administer doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12?

Robertson said the territory has been preparing for this for weeks, including acquiring supplies and ensuring teams are ready.

"What's different now than back in on December 31, when we started administering vaccines, is that we have more transportation options, we have more freezers to get vaccine to all the communities," Robertson said.

"We don't have the same level of scarcity that we had at the beginning."

The N.W.T. also has ways to store vaccines in all of its health centres now, he added.

What does Alberta's public health state of emergency mean for N.W.T. residents, who rely on the province's healthcare services?

"I would say a number of us breathed a sigh of relief last night when the measures were announced in Alberta," Robertson said, "because we do see the spillover effect into N.W.T., with all the travel that occurs in terms of health system capacity."

"We've also watched that very closely. And our medical leadership is in frequent contact with Alberta, to monitor the situation."

COVID-19 cases in the N.W.T. have spiked, where is that transmission coming from?

Kandola said travel significantly increased over the summer with around 12,000 travellers into the territory in August alone — more than 25 per cent of the territory's population.

That travel brought new cases of COVID-19, which lead to community spread.

Both health officials said the best way to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated and encourage others to do the same.

What is the N.W.T. government doing about COVID-19 passports?

Robertson said the territory already provides proof of immunization, which can be requested online through email.

However, he said officials have received complaints about how plain and unofficial the form appears. Robertson said provinces and territories have met to determine what those forms should look like Canada-wide. 

He said an updated version will be ready in the territory by the end of October, though he added that these too will have to be requested.

"Unfortunately, we do not have a method for this to be entirely self-serve online," Robertson said. "Our current electronic health record system does not support that functionality, and we can't build it in short time."