N.W.T. lowers age for booster doses to 16, distributes rapid COVID-19 test kits to students

The N.W.T. is making COVID-19 booster doses available to anyone 16 and older and will distribute more than 15,000 COVID-19 self-test kits to students before they head home for the holidays.

Booster doses were previously available to all N.W.T. residents 18 and over. The N.W.T. Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) said Thursday it expanded the age criteria based on the advice of the chief public health officer. 

The doses will be available to anyone who is or will be 16 years of age "within the calendar year at the time they receive their dose," a news release reads. 

Booster doses can be taken six months after a second dose, said the NTHSSA, and can help people keep their level of immunity for longer.

"It's also possible that boosters increase protection against a new strain or variant of COVID-19," reads the statement.

Yellowknife residents can book their booster shots online. Those outside the capital should consult the latest vaccine clinic schedule or contact their local health centre.

5 at home self-tests for students

Students at schools who are participating in the territory's COVID-19 At-Home Student Screening Program will each receive five self-test kits before the holidays, according to a separate government news release.

"It is recommended that parents, guardians, and caregivers test their child the day before returning to school in the new year. The rest of the tests can be used by anyone in the household at any point over the break," stated the release.

It added the government is planning to make COVID-19 rapid tests more available in the near future. 

Both announcement were made hours before a scheduled briefing Thursday afternoon to address leisure travel as COVID-19 cases increase across the country. The briefing has now been postponed to Friday at noon.

Health Minister Julie Green and Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Caroline Wawzonek will join Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola and Donna Lee Demarcke, the chief executive officer of NWT Tourism, for the update.

Watch it live here Friday, on CBC North's Facebook page or tune in to CBC North Radio One. 

11 cases in N.W.T.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the territory has been decreasing since the latest outbreak in the Beaufort Delta region. 

As of Wednesday, there were 11 cases across the N.W.T.

Earlier this week, Kandola said in a news release that COVID-19 risk has now "shifted from community spread to risk associated with COVID-19 importation from travel," citing the increasing spread of the Omicron variant.

In the release, health officials asked N.W.T. residents returning from out-of-territory travel to avoid high-risk activities and large gatherings, limit contacts outside their household and wear a mask around others for 72 hours after they return.

On Wednesday, the federal government advised Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside the country as the Omicron variant spreads across the world.

Since the start of the pandemic, 62 N.W.T. COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized, 20 people have been treated in the ICU and 12 have died.